Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Joan Hickey - Between The Lines
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence (Oct-Dec 2007)
On Between The Lines pianist Joan Hickey delivers a CD that is more Jazz-centered with emphasis on Blues accents and the free floating pulse established long ago by the '60's Miles Davis Quintet. "With A Song In My Heart" and "The Man I Love" get strong, exuberant interpretations that feature saxophonist John Wojciechowski going wild, playing a hard, burrowing tenor on "Song" and a strong melodious soprano on "Man."
Hickey proves herself a... read more
Tom Tallitsch - Perspective
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
"An interesting set of original compositions from frontman Tallitsch, Perspective takes some time giving the full ensemble room to stretch out with long, flowing pieces galore. The album opens with "Swirl," using the full ensemble to signal movements in tone while letting pianist John Stenger twinkle throughout. In "Conscious Contact," the pace quickens a bit and the band begins to separate for bits of collective improvisation, but the key... read more
Danny Green - After the Calm
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
Having raved about Danny Green's last album a couple of years ago, I'm now back to rave about his new one. As before, Green leads a trio that (in terms of tightness and communication) seems to share a single brain, though one with multiple creative lobes. Bassist Justin Grinnell is especially impressive here, delivering multiple solos that are worth listening to - and as a bassist myself, I can tell you that that's not faint praise. Green's... read more
George Cotsirilos - Mostly in Blue
by Miles Jordan, Chico News & Review
After three acclaimed trio albums since 2006 with bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Ron Marabuto, they hooked up with pianist Keith Saunders to explore what Cotsirilos describes as "a little different sound connected to the tunes I was writing." The results are... read more
Paul Tynan & Aaron Lington - Bicoastal Collective: Chapter Five
by Dave Rogers, WTJU, Richmond
Paul Tynan (composer/trumpet/flugelhorn) and Aaron Ligton (composer/bari sax) each composed half of the numbers on this disc specifically for the Bicoastal Collective, a powerhouse big band featuring, in addition to the composers, Bobby Selvaggio (soprano, alto sax, alto clarinet, flute); Steve Jones (alto sax, clarinet); Dave Down (tenor sax flute); Marcus Wolfe (tenor sax, bass clarinet); Paul Compton, Carl Lundgren and Alex Dubrov... read more
George Cotsirilos - On The Rebop
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
Guitarist George Cotsirilos picks up the rest of his trio for his sophomore album. The sound is somewhat what one would expect from a journeyman of Cotsirilos' experience, with slight influences from blues, pop, avant-garde jazz, classical, and Latin music. However, the music takes a direction all his own, tackling a mix of originals and classics. While the pieces covered are primarily of the usual songbooks (Johnny Mercer, Jerome Kern, Hoagy... read more
Carrie Wicks - Maybe
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Ever wonder who was the mook that decided shoe gaze was a good thing for a genre? Probably some mook who grew up in a house where jazz thrushes singing about how much life sucked was the soundtrack for the story of his life. Wicks does the thrush/cabaret thing without a touch of the tortured artist effect that goes with the genre all too often. Adding her own special sauce to the mix by doing some snappy writing as well, Wicks has no problem... read more
Jeremy Levy Jazz Orchestra - The Planets: Reimagined
by Customer Review, Amazon
The ensemble writing and playing here is unbelievable! This music contains some very challenging stuff. The band includes top LA studio musicians. The soloists fit perfectly in each piece! The solists include Andy Martin, Alex Budman, Michael Stever, Tom Luer, and Andrew Synowiec.
The mix is great. You can clearly hear each section. This album is big fat punchy big band excellence!
Nothing is recycled or typical here. Jeremy pulled out... read more
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