Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Jimmy Bennington - Midnight Choir
by Bud Kopman, All About Jazz
There is little information included about the music on Midnight Choir to prepare you for the listening experience (though there is a bio of Jimmy Bennington), and the disc starts right off quite abstractly. The first two tracks are attributed to Seth Paynter (sax) and are of a sparse, non-rhythmic, free kind that is more expressionist than anything else. "The Mind" is made of sax/bass duets, bass solos, drum solos, vocalisms, and the trio... read more
Ben Markley Big Band With Ari Hoenig - Ari's Funhouse
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Pianist/keyboardist Ben Markley leads a 17 piece big band through seven original pieces, all filled with impressive and creative section work and well delivered solos. The horns are big, bold and brassy as they punch through solos by Will Swindler/as and drummer Ari Hoenig on "Birdless" while the leader swings around Hoenig's shuffle on "Bert's Playground". The sections get kinetic as they carom around on "Arrows and Loops" while guitarist Steve... read more
Charlie Porter - Immigration Nation
by Nicola Barin, Distorsioni (Italy)
Former Winton Marsalis student Charlie Porter on his second album as leader, hits the target perfectly. With this project, "Immigration Nation", the trumpeter of Florida pays homage to the United States as a welcoming land. The music Americana is a fusion of styles and characters to which different populations have contributed who, especially from the mid-1800s until the early 1900s, sought possibilities in the New World. The project is built in... read more
George Cotsirilos - Past Present
by Jordan Richardson, I Hear Sparks Music Blog
Unassuming and without airs, George Cotsirilos' guitar snakes through Past Present with velvety simplicity. The new record from his trio, comprised also of bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Ron Marabuto, is a fulfilling ten-song set that rises and falls like the smoke from a good cigar.
Out now on OA2/Origin Records, Past Present is a delight. Filled with standards and a host of original compositions by Cotsirilos, the album is a quiet, gentle... read more
Zach Rich - Solidarity
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
*Ringer of the Week* Yes, there are tones of "jazz and strings" albums out there, but this one by trombonist Zach Rich is vastly different. First, it's not just a musician blowing around the strings, but the quartet of Anton Smirnov/vi, Rachel England/vi, Mathew Diekman/va and Erin Patterson/cel is an organic part of the rest of the band, consisting of Denin Slage-Koch/g, Gavin Dunn/p, Garbriel Mangion/dr and Seth Lewis-Gonzalo Teppa/b... read more
Wil Swindler - Space Bugs
by Brian Morton, DownBeat
4-STARS Saxophonist and composer Wil Swindler has been an important part of the Colorado jazz scene, where he leads several groups, freelances and teaches at Colorado State University. Back in 2010, he recorded Universe B with his Elevenet. Now, 12 years later, his 11-piece group is still active and includes six of its original members.
The emphasis is on Swindler's writing. All compositions other "Blackbird" and "Pavlov's Daughter"... read more
Ted Piltzecker - Vibes on a Breath
by ABC Jazz Editor, ABC Radio (Australia)
Imaginative re-workings of standards and plucky originals are what makes vibes master Ted Piltzecker's latest album a real gem.
The veteran American vibraphonist is best known for having performed alongside George Shearing, and his own recordings have proven to be equally as bright and adventurous as the late jazz legend's. Vibes On A Breath is Piltzecker's latest offering, and on it, he blends his sound with a septet featuring four horn... read more
Randy Napoleon - Rust Belt Roots: Randy Napoleon Plays Wes Montgomery, Grant Green & Kenny Burrell
by Linda Yohn, SEMJA (Michigan)
In any endeavor — business, education, the arts — the teacher-student relationship is critical for growth of new talent and skills. The mentor-mentee relationship takes the educational and growth commitment to a higher level. In the two recordings Rust Belt Roots by Randy Napoleon and Each Step by Nathan Borton, you hear the living mentor-mentee liaison through the lens of six strings thoughtfully stroked on beautiful guitars.
Napoleon's... read more
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