Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Carrie Wicks - Maybe
by J. Gage, Amazon
There is an old interview with Luciano Pavarotti where he compares preparing his voice and lungs for a performance to a Ferrari just before a race - just the right blend of air and energy must be harnessed for the performance to reach its apex, for the car to win the race. I would argue that, in the case of race car drivers, Pavarotti and all great singers, soul is a third critical component, and that Carrie Wicks vocal performance on "Maybe"... read more
Karen Marguth - Until
by Dorothea Gängel, Jazz 'N' More (Switzerland)
4-STARS The singer Karen Marguth, who lives in California, discovered her love of jazz in the early 2000s. Since then, she has been active in the scene as a coach, teacher and singer. On her new album "Until", she interprets songs by Sting, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell with confidence and great clarity. The opening track "Comes Love" already reveals the full range of her incredibly variable voice. Accompanied by three different... read more
The Kora Band - Cascades
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Headed up unobtrusively by pianist Andrew Oliver, the Kora Band is an experiment in compositional fusion. Incorporating the sounds of West African music into modern jazz isn't entirely unheard of, with Toumani Diabat� bridging some of the gaps over the years in his collaborations. Nonetheless, this is a different beast. The focus here is on the jazz, a relatively light and airy version of it, with the kora (provided outstandingly by Kane Mathis)... read more
Rich Pellegrin - Three-Part Odyssey
by Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition
The Seattle jazz scene is vibrant and open-minded, with artists ranging from Thomas Marriott and Cuong Vu to The Zubatto Syndicate and Jeff Johnson. A new and up-and-coming Seattle jazz musician is the forward-thinking pianist Rich Pellegrin, whose debut release as a leader, Three-Part Odyssey, combines complex and dense structures, cyclical minimalism, avant-garde interludes and orderly post-bop jazz.
In his liner notes, Pellegrin... read more
Tucker Antell - Grime Scene
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
Tucker Antell knows how to make an entrance. The two-minute solo stand that opens Grime Scene finds his stentorian saxophone blowing brusque and fluid across a wide swath. It plays like a strong man's lament-cum-catharsis, but what follows on the same track is something else: a bluesy shuffle with foot tap-inducing properties. This marks the first of many welcome surprises on this pleasing debut.
While the pairing of tenor saxophone and... read more
Mark Buselli / Claude Sifferlen - Take The Mitsu
by Russell Arthur Roberts, L.A. Jazz Scene
Flugelhornist Mark Buselli and pianist Claude Sifferlen's album, Take the Mitsu, (the title, a play on the surname of Sifferlen's favorite 20th-century composer, Toru Takemitsu), is deliciously exquisite, bringing to mind similarly appealing duo recordings of Ornette Coleman and Charlie Haden (Soapsuds, Soapsuds), Arthur Blythe and David Eyges (Today's Blues), Walter Norris and George Mraz or Aladar Pegge (Drifting), and Denny Zeitlin with David... read more
Gregory Dudzienski - Beautiful Moments
by Hrayr Attarian, Chicago Jazz Magazine
Saxophonist and composer Gregory Dudzienski is Chicago's most eloquent proponent of the mid-20th century jazz sound. His lean and elegant compositions, warm and soulful tone, and expressive playing mark his work that is rooted in tradition yet refreshingly modern. The seven originals on Beautiful Moments are no exception.
The swaggering vamps of the opener, "Dexter's Laboratory," set the mood for the entire album. Dudzienski embellishes the... read more
Nelda Swiggett - This Time
by Harvey Siders, Jazz Times
Whenever a new genre manifests itself, the occasion is significant. In the person of Nelda Swiggett, we have what can be accurately labeled "Polite Jazz." There's no better way to describe her approach to the keyboard, or her vocalizing, or her writing. Labels aside, this third album by Swiggett, as a leader, is a stunning project, put together by three imaginative swingers -- pianist Swiggett; bassist Chris Symer; and drummer Byron Vannoy --... read more
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