Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Electric Squeezebox Orchestra - Cheap Rent
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Yes, the name is intriguing - but what should one expect musically from the San Francisco-based Electric Squeezebox Orchestra? Bits and pieces of a number of disparate elements, really, from straight-ahead contemporary motifs to shuffle beats and old-line swing, from down-home New Orleans rhythms to throwback grooves from the '70s and even a seductive ballad. What matters most is that every number is capably performed by an ensemble comprised... read more
Zach Rich - Solidarity
by Stephen Graham, Marlbank (UK)
In a nutshell this is brightly voiced chamber jazz from Denver trombonist and composer-arranger Zach Rich on an album of his own music recorded in a Colorado studio at the end of 2021 for jazz quintet and chamber orchestra.
We liked the scurrying sax to-and-fro on the 'Anthem' track and Julian Carey's vocal on his own lyrics to 'What is the World Rated' mainly spoken as a kind of homily rather than sung and where the song examines what cinema... read more
Gordon Lee and the Gleeful Big Band - Flying Dream
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
With big bands, it's all about the arrangements. Those charts have to have that spark, as well as a depth and complexity. Then the solo slots -- those punctuating flights of improvisation -- have to soar, of course. They do here; they almost always do at this top level of musicianship; but it's the textures, the layerings, the eyebrow-raising counterpoints that make the set.
Gordon Lee and the Gleeful Big Band's Flying Dream bubbles over the... read more
Charlie Porter - Hindsight
by Hrayr Attarian, All About Jazz
4-STARS Trumpeter Charlie Porter has proved himself to be an inventive composer whose works are simultaneously thought-provoking and mellifluous. His third and perhaps most immediately relevant release, Hindsight, draws inspiration from the events that came to public attention in 2020. Musically, the nine originals are fluid yet complex and are peppered with sounds from other genres such as gospel, African folk and hip hop. The result is... read more
Mark Buselli - Untold Stories
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
For several years now, "jazz" has become an increasingly misused term. If you look it up in a dictionary, or Google it, you'll note that every definition includes words like improvisation, syncopation, rhythm, beat and other terms that describe an American art form dating back to the early 20th century. There are, many genres of jazz: Dixieland, straight-ahead, bop, modern and fusion, to name but a few, and they all have one thing in common:... read more
Andrew Oliver Sextet - 82% Chance of Rain
by Brett Campbell, Willamette Week
With his Kora Band and Portland Jazz Composers Orchestra, hard-working young keyboardist Andrew Oliver has become a mainstay of this city's jazz scene. His high-energy second sextet release gets the precipitation percentage wrong, but just about everything else right.
82% Chance of Rain is an eclectic collection, but a year of honing these 10 tracks has allowed them to benefit from the variety of the composers? well-integrated yet distinctive... read more
Darden Purcell - Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood
by Illiam Sebitz, 5 Finger Review
Darden Purcell's third studio release, Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood, is a meticulously crafted set of mid-century jazz elegance. Purcell and her ensemble, led by the inventive arrangements of guitarist Shawn Purcell, bring a modern vitality to the Great American Songbook and beyond. Featuring standout contributions from vibraphone virtuoso Joe Locke, the album is a vibrant exploration of standards, Latin-tinged gems, and even an... 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
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