Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Paul Tynan & Aaron Lington - Bicoastal Collective: Chapter Six
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
In jazz terms, trumpeter Paul Tynan and baritone saxophonist Aaron Lington's Bicoastal Collective is a long-running series, as this marks the sixth recording produced during their sixteen-year partnership. As Chapters One to Five were splendid, it might have been advisable to close the book there. However, Tynan and Lington have chosen to forge ahead, and so Chapter Six must be appraised on its own merits.
Before weighing the music, it should... read more
Jun Iida - Bellflower
by Paul Rauch, All About Jazz
Jun Iida is a stylish trumpeter who has moved around a bit, in the process taking interpretive fragments of the jazz culture in each city he has inhabited. From his native Pittsburgh, to stops in Los Angeles, Seattle and New York City, he has remained connected to each through personal relationships with the local jazz communities he has embraced. An aerospace engineer who set his career aside to pursue his craft as a jazz trumpeter, Iida has... read more
Danny Green Trio Plus Strings - One Day It Will
by Travis Rogers, Jr., The Jazz Owl
And just when I thought Danny Green's Trio had outdone themselves with 2015's Altered Narratives, they release One Day It Will, their third album on OA2 Records. It is the very same brilliant trio of Danny Green on piano, Justin Grinnell on bass, and Julien Cantelm on drums. In fact, they have been together since 2010.
The continue what had started on Altered States, the inclusion of strings. The string quartet features San Diego Symphony... read more
Shawn Maxwell - Music in My Mind
by Bobby Reed, Downbeat
EDITOR'S PICK / JUNE 2018 The all-original program on Shawn Maxwell's Music In My Mind conveys the vision of a composer who's confident in his artistic vision, and comfortable with the wide array of colors on his instrumental palette.
Maxwell - who plays alto saxophone, clarinet and flute here - recruited 11 supporting musicians for his ensemble New Tomorrow. And on his eighth album, Maxwell's merger of written passages and improvised... read more
Shawn Maxwell - New Tomorrow
by Elaine Hegwood Bowen, The Chicago Crusader
Saxophonist Shawn Maxwell's musicianship has been lauded by fellow musicians and critics alike as he's become one of the pre-eminent performers in Chicago jazz. With several recordings featuring his quartet or his sonically expanded "Alliance," Shawn Maxwell's New Tomorrow adds the singular trumpet voices of three of Chicago's finest - Victor Garcia, Chad McCullough, and Corey Wilkes - to his working quartet for a set of nine modern,... read more
Jeff Baker - Shopping For Your Heart
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Jazz vocalist Jeff Baker's third CD for OA2 is a perfect example of a confident young singer willing to explore music from many different genres so long as the tunes are promising. Backed by a great band that includes saxophonist Brent Jensen, pianist Bill Anschell, and drummer John Bishop (all of whom were present on his second release for the label), plus bassist Jeff Johnson, Baker is never predictable in his approach to any song and... read more
Jason Keiser - Shaw's Groove
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Guitarist Jason Keiser leads a two guitar team alongside John Stowell with the horns of Erik Jekabson/tp-fh and Aaron Lington/bs and a rhythm section of Dan Robbins/b and Jason Lewis/dr for an album focusing on material written by the late great Woody Shaw, along with some material from the pen of Ronnie Matthews, Larry Young and himself.
While known as an inspiring trumpet player, Shaw's compositions hold up well in the unorthodox setting,... read more
George Cotsirilos - Past Present
by John Heidt, Vintage Guitar Magazine
Veteran jazz guitarist Cotsirilos' latest record is a swinging set driven by his considerable chops and skill at composing and interpreting music. Hie bandmates, Robb Fisher (bass) and Ron Marabuto (drums), are the perfect match with their ability to follow their leader's moves.
On "Good Wood," Cotsirilos mixes chords and single notes to state the jumping melody. Like many of the songs here, it's a swingfest. The style also dominates on... read more
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