Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
George Cotsirilos - On The Rebop
by Doug Collar, WKAR-FM
Recently while digging into a Danish and having a coffee at a Panera, I caught a hard grooving Wes Montgomery tune over the sound system. That is the same vibe I get from George Cotsirilos. "On the Rebop" is straight ahead and the real thing. When somebody asks me whatever happened to Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel, I'll be telling them to pick up on George's sounds. His recordings are always welcome on "Jazz Till... read more
Hans Luchs - Time Never Pauses
by Dave Rogers, WTJU - Richmond
This is Chicago-based guitarist Hans Luchs first disc and there is no doubt he's ready. He composed eight of the ten tunes on offer and selected Ellington's "Come Sunday" and and Cole Porter's "Get Out Of Town" as the remaining two. He is a skilled and thoroughly modern player and his group, featuring George Fludas (drums), Clark Sommers (bass), Stu Mindeman (piano), and Shaun Johnson (trumpet), suits his style wonderfully. The songs are melodic... read more
Mason Razavi - Quartet Plus, Volume 2
by Domi, Republic of Jazz
The interesting thing Razavi does on this second 'quartet' outing is show that you can be a classically styled guitar jazzbo without having to show that you can chase the ghost of Wes and catch him. Firmly his own cat, this solid program of mostly originals is right in the pocket of great playing making for great listening. A real winner of a set, this is the kind of stuff that fools you initially into think it's dinner music but gently elbows... read more
Mason Razavi - Quartet Plus, Volume 2
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
Guitarist and composer Mason Razavi has put together a very interesting program on his latest album. The first five tracks are straight-ahead quartet recordings (with the exception of the fusion-inflected "With the Wind at My Back"), while the second half of the album consists of pieces arranged for a nonet that sounds like a big band. I assume that the horn charts were arranged by Razavi as well as based on his melody lines, and they're... read more
Debbie Poryes - Loving Hank
by Pierre Giroux, Audiophile Audition
The relationship between pianists Debbie Poryes and Hank Jones would appear to be somewhat tenuous. But that did not stop the San Francisco based pianist from offering a tribute to the late, great, lyrical and impeccable master of the keyboard, under the album title Loving Hank.
Apart from a period in the 1980s, when Poryes made The Netherlands her home base while she taught and played in that country along with several other European venues,... read more
Paul Tynan & Aaron Lington - Bicoastal Collective: Chapter Two
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Trumpeter Paul Tynan and baritone saxophonist Aaron Lington met while both men were students at North Texas State (home to one of the major college jazz studies programs) in the late 1990s. Their second release together, with guitarist Scott Sorkin, bassist John Shiflflet and drummer Jason Lewis, has an unusual centerpiece: Lington's adaptations of English folk tunes arranged by classical composer Ralph Vaughn Williams as "Six Studies in English... read more
Ben Winkelman Trio - Balance
by FILIPE FREITAS, JazzTrail
Melbourne-raised, New York-based pianist/composer Ben Winkelman, an adept of the trio format, odd meters, and Latin scents, teams up for the first time with bassist Matt Penman and drummer Obed Calvaire on his fifth album as a leader.
Balancing composition and improvisation, he crosses the lines between Latin, jazz, and classical, bestowing a distinct feel to each of the 10 tunes that compose the album, which appropriately got the title... read more
Stan Bock Ensemble - Your Check's In The Mail
by Jeff Krow, Audio Audition
Portland, Oregon trombone player extraordinaire, Stan Bock, has had a largely low key jazz career. He entered the U.S. Air Force band program in the mid-70s, where he served as a trombone soloist with various groups for nearly 19 years before retiring in 1994. He then settled in the Portland area and has been an active freelance sideman as well as a music teacher ever since in the Pacific Northwest. His two prior CDs are from 1999 (Of Fathers... read more
Looking for a specific review?
This is just a small collection of the OA2 Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Search Reviews:
Recently Added Reviews:
Kelley Johnson - Something Good
by Ian Gwin, Earshot Jazz
Charlie Porter - Immigration Nation
by Georges Tonla Briquet, JazzHalo (Belgium)
Lolly Allen - Coming Home
by Georges Tonla Briquet, JazzHalo (Belgium)
Kelley Johnson - Something Good
by Lance Liddle, BeBop Spoken Here
Charlie Porter - Immigration Nation
by Editor, JAZZIZ
Kelley Johnson - Something Good
by Patrick Van de Wiele , Keys and Chords (Belgium)
Kelley Johnson - Something Good
by Robert Rusch, Cadence Magazine
Charlie Porter - Immigration Nation
by Paul Rauch, All About Jazz
Lolly Allen - Coming Home
by Bobby Reed, Downbeat
Carrie Wicks - Reverie
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly