Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Jay Lawrence - Thermal Strut
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence, Oct-Nov 2007
The trio on "Thermal Strut" works together with a sense of surprise and fun. The eye-opener is pianist Tamir Hendleman who attacks the keyboard with a jaunty ferocity worthy of Horace Silver. "Topsy," "Agua De Beber," and Silver's own "Opus De Funk" all benefit from his springy touch and Jay Lawrence's rolling drum style. There are also notable slower works like "Eulogy," a sedate classical piece with a touch of the Blues, and "Tell Me A Bedtime... read more
Nelda Swiggett - Blue-Eyed Painted Lady
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Pianist/vocalist Nelda Swiggett leads a chamber jazz team of Chris Symer/bass, Byron Vannoy/drums, Rachel Swerdlow/viola and Walter Gray/cello through some exciting, quirky and swinging originals. Tensile and dramatic pieces such as "Thanks To Solomon" or the boppish "Hewett's Blues" have the leader using either lyrics or wordless vocals with the strings pick, pluck and bow to boppish grooves. Gentle brushes sashay on the samba'd title... read more
Will Goble - Consider the Blues
by Chris Spector, Midwest Review
This bass playing extended musical family member of the Marsalis clan shows he's not just another white boy with the blues. Using blues changes as his starting point and adding the jazz from there with other of his Marsalis band mates, Goble feels free to push creative envelopes to let the vibe wail. A solid session that plays with feeling and spirit, Goble shows he has great ear/hand/brain co-ordination in executing his vision here. Tasty... read more
Zach Rich - Solidarity
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Solidarity consists for the most part of warm, gentle chamber jazz ably performed by Denver-based trombonist Zach Rich, his quintet, a four-piece string section and half a dozen invited guests. Besides playing elegant trombone, Rich, who teaches at Denver's Lamont School of Music, wrote and arranged all of the album's eight handsome songs.
The strings are present on the first six numbers; the seventh, "What Is America Rated?," features Julian... read more
Anthony Stanco - Stanco's Time
by Michael van Gee, Jazz 'N' More (Switzerland)
5-STARS Albums with great trumpeters are released again and again, such as this magnificent album by Anthony Stanco, who was born in Detroit but now lives and teaches in Michigan, "Stanco's Time", which he recorded with a top-class quintet, including Randy Napoleon, Xavier Davis, Rodney Whitaker, Joe Farnsworth, and with Walter Blanding (ts) as a guest on three tracks, expanding the quintet to a sextet. The album's program consists of... read more
Shawn Maxwell - Music in My Mind
by Dave Rogers, WTJU
Chicago musician Shawn Maxwell (alto sax, clarinet, flute) has been recognized for his leadership with his quartet and his dectet. He now augments his group "New Tomorrow" with guest appearances by three of the Windy City's most respected trumpeters: Victor Garcia and Chad McCullough (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Corey Wilkes (trumpet) with each having two or more performances on this release. Other players are Matt Nelson (piano, rhodes), Patrick... read more
Rich Pellegrin - Three-Part Odyssey
by Kyle O'Brien, Jazz Society of Oregon
Seattle is a place where jazz can be treated as an experiment, and pianist/composer Pellegrin, who is getting his Ph.D. at the University of Washington, takes a studious approach to his music. This is dense jazz from note one. The opener, "Nothing Comes to Mind," is an atonal but rhythmic exploration, with trumpeter R. Scott Morning and saxophonist Neil Welch sharing an obtuse melody before Pellegrin takes over on the solo, which gets hot and... read more
Gail Pettis - Here in the Moment
by Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times
In our continuous search for the dazzle of the complex, the beauty in simplicity is often dismissed or overlooked. Such is the case with Gail Pettis, an unlikely addition to the vocal jazz pantheon (having spent three decades as an orthodontist before turning her attention to singing), but a very welcome latecomer. With the 2007 release of her debut album, the flute-voiced Seattleite demonstrated a fine interpretive gift, one that hugged... read more
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