Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
George Cotsirilos - Past Present
by Veronica Timpanelli, Jazz Review
Past Present is the third release from guitarist George Cotsirilos, and the second for the trio. It is a strong follow-up to the trio s first release together, On the Rebop. This latest production offers up a good mix of original compositions and standards and remains fresh and swinging throughout.
Of special note is the lead-off tune, Good Wood, which has such a catchy groove, it beautifully illustrates what is so attractive in the modern... read more
Jihee Heo - Flow
by Paul Rauch, All About Jazz
South Korean pianist Jihee Heo has been in New York City since 2009. She arrived to work on her Masters after studies in Amsterdam and has become a fixture on the Gotham club scene, often appearing with a trio or quartet sharing the bandstand with some of the city's finest players. Her new trio plus one effort, Flow (OA2, 2024), is in a way, a documentation of those club performances. Recorded by Maureen Sickler at Rudy Van Gelder's famed studio... read more
Seattle Womens Jazz Orchestra - Meeting of the Waters
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
The Seattle Women's Jazz Orchestra features some of the top jazz musicians and arrangers in the Pacific Northwest, primarily focusing on original music written for the band. The tight harmonies of the ensembles and strong soloists are key ingredients to their success. This is not strictly an all-female band like Diva, as drummer Jeremy Jones and lead trumpeter Dennis Haldane are regular members and there are several male guests in the trumpet... read more
Jun Iida - Bellflower
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
5-STARS - Jun Iida's Bellflower Turns Memory, Migration and Jazz Tradition Into Something Strikingly Modern
While rain tap dances against the pavement outside, the studio glows with the muted amber light of late evening. Coffee cups sit half-finished beside tangled cables, and somewhere behind the mixing board a producer quietly nods along to the music filling the room. Then the trumpet of Jun Iida cuts through the atmosphere... read more
Alex Goodman - Border Crossing
by Raul Da Gama, Jazz Da Gama
The forty-five or so minutes of music led by the young guitarist, Alex Goodman bristle with hip energy and feature extraordinary instrumental and vocal combinations such an angular cello wailing in not-so-unison with Goodman's sleek guitar lines or heavenly vocalastics and a twinkling vibraphone backed by a whole topographical ocean of arresting percussion eventually buttressed by dark bass. Through it all the lead character, Alex Goodman,... 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
Josh Moshier & Mike Lebrun - Joy Not Jaded
by Philip Davia, Chicago Jazz Magazine
This new recording, which features all new compositions by highly talented musician/composers Josh Moshier and Mike Lebrun, opens with "Kings Road." The piano figure is mysterious and sparse and there is great use of space and rhythm in this piece. At certain points it has a very hip, avant-garde feel.
"Jambo" features a playful melody performed beautifully with the whole band playing part. Guest guitarist John Moulder plays a perfectly... read more
Kate Olson - So It Goes
by Richard Kamins, Step Tempest
Saxophonist and composer Kate Olson is a new name to me and I believed that "So It Goes" (OA2 Records) was the debut recording for her and her fine quartet. A trip to her Bandcamp page (https://kateplayssax.bandcamp.com/) quickly dispelled my belief that I was reviewing her debut album. It is the first recording for Ms. Olson and her band, consisting of Connor Eisenmenger (trumpet, trombone, effects), Tim Carey (electric bass, electric guitar on... read more
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