Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Liam Sillery - Outskirts
by Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
Trumpeter Liam Sillery leads a fine quintet (with altoist Matt Blostein, pianist Jese Stacken, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza) on Outskirts. A laidback and relaxed trumpeter who blends well with Blostein, Sillery is even more skilled as a composer, having contributed all six selections performed on this set. While ?Blues For Lifetime? gives the musicians an opportunity to play a blues, other selections go both inside and... read more
Daniel Jamieson's Danjam Orchestra - Sudden Appearance
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
In the realm of modern jazz, the big band is making a resurgence. Powerhouse ensembles led by the likes of Chris Walden and Alex Budman have been gaining ground steadily. Enter Daniel Jamieson's Toronto rendition of the modern big band, with some exploration built into every track. The sound is always reaching for something in Sudden Appearance, his debut album. Big-band jazz is normally based around tightly packed arrangements, keeping a large... read more
Jarod Bufe - New Spaces
by George Harris, Jazz Weekly
Jarod Bufe plays it muscular on a spacious quartet outing with Tim Stine/g, Matt Ulery/b and Jon Deitemyer/dr. Bufe does an impressive arm wrestle with Deitmyer on the duet "The Journey" with wondrous sparks flying, while the drummer's ride cymbal coaxes the pulse on a percolating "Begin Again" and a gently cadenced "basement Reality." Bufe works his way adroitly through the spaces created by Stine and Ulery on "Climbing" and the team is sleek... read more
The Kora Band - Cascades
by Kyle O'Brien, Jazz Society of Oregon
Portland pianist Andrew Oliver takes on the music of west Africa with this ambitious project. The band fuses western styles and influences with the music of The Gambia, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast. The opener, "Sinyaro," features the band's kora (a 21-stringed instrument of the Mandinka people) player, Kane Mathis. While Mathis is a western musician, he learned the kora and the accompanying language he occasionally sings in The Gambia, and... read more
Will Goble - Consider the Blues
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Bassist Will Goble delivers the blues in many dark and light hues here on a mix of originals, covers and traditional. He teams up with the thick tenor of Gregory Tardy, nimble piano for Louis Heriveaux and Dave Potter's simpatico drumming for some clever arrangements and deliveries. The post bop original "Johnson's Magic Umbrella" has some Monkish corners for Tardy to veer around, while Heriveaux's modal touch on "The Ant's Went Marching..." and... read more
Shawn Maxwell - Music in My Mind
by Hrayr Attarian, Chicago Jazz Magazine
Over the past decade and change woodwind player Shawn Maxwell has established himself as an innovative composer and a sophisticated improviser. Each of his recordings is simultaneously unique and bears his indelible signature style Music In My Mind is no different. Using a few different ensembles Maxwell has crafted a remarkably cohesive work that brims with poetry. The intricately constructed originals allow individual expressions, that crackle... read more
Jim Olsen - We See Stars
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Scene
Ok, I admit it. Any time I see the name Bobby Shew attached to a recording, my curiosity is aroused. And Shew�s lyrical trumpet and flugelhorn are featured here among other prime time soloists. Composer-flutist Jim Olsen has composed from a varied pallette, including classic swinging material, ballad delicacies, �out there� journeys, and even some electronic meanderings. In addition to Shew�s stunning trumpet and flugelhorn solos, veteran... read more
Darden Purcell - Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood
by Geannine Reid, All About Jazz
4-Stars Darden Purcell's album Love's Got Me In A Lazy Mood (OA2 Records, 2023) shows her keen ear for the subtleties and nuances which define the West Coast cool jazz vocal sound. Purcell's album comprises eleven tracks which blend the laid-back, sophisticated rhythms and melodic inventiveness that characterize the style with beautiful singing and nimble playing.
Purcell is joined by an ensemble of musicians whose contributions are... read more
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