Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Jason Keiser - Shaw's Groove
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The esteemed guitarist Jason Keiser is joined by John Stowell, Erik Jekabson, Aaron Lington, Dan Robbins and Jason Lewis for these lively and diverse jazz tunes that explore Woody Shaw's fantastic recordings from the '70s.
"Organ Grinder" starts the listen with Lewis' frisky drums and Lington's expressive baritone sax making for a lively jazz demeanor, and "Zoltan" follows with cozy guitar lines from Stowell and Jekabson's well timed brass... read more
Afro Bop Alliance - Una Mas
by Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes
Drummer Joe McCarthy and saxophonist-arranger Vince Norman have been leading the Afro Bop Alliance for over a decade. Following their Latin Grammy Award in 2008, they put together an all-star big band for 'Una Mas,' the group's debut on OA2. This potent collection includes stellar renditions of luis Perdomo's dynamic "Golpe de Cumaco," Joey Calderazzo's "El Nino" and Cal Tjader's vibrant "Viva Cepeda," along with a Latin-jazz take on Benny... read more
Charlie Apicella & Iron City - Groove Machine
by Don Phipps, All About Jazz
On Groove Machine, Charlie Apicalla & Iron City serves up a gumbo of styles that run from New Orleans blues and Chicago funk to Motown and New York bop. The combination makes for a "groovy" listening experience—road music that will keep the head nodding and the mind trucking. Apicella penned five of the eight numbers on the album. The other three writing credits go to Lou Donaldson, organist Radam Schwartz, and Willis "Gator"... read more
Daniel Barry - Walk All Ways
by Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
Jazz and other forms of instrumental music first started exploring Latin, African, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms and melodies in earnest in the 1940s and '50s, first as a novelty, then as the kitschy style now known as exotica. By the '60s, as black and Latino communities started exploring their cultural heritages, the music got more serious, and by the advent of "world music" as its own section in the record store in the 1970s, these musical... read more
Jeff Baker - Baker Sings Chet
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Jeff Baker is a Boise, Idaho native with a New York state of mind. His debut recording, Baker sings Chet, pays tribute less to Chet than to the music the late vocalist made his own. Jeff Baker has a beautifully smooth and confident vocal style that would sound appealing singing polka music. Backing Mr. Baker is an exquisite septet that sounds damn near like a big band. This swinging little-big unit tears it up with pithy and intelligently... read more
Wil Swindler - Space Bugs
by Cedric Hendrix, CirdecSongs
A study in classy large-ensemble jazz performance. Wil Swindler and his alto saxophone have been guiding the vision of this band for a decade, and the two live sets that make up this album show in the ease and chemistry displayed by the band. Regardless of who is handling the solo at the time, the band feels more like an orchestra providing the perfect amount of support to help the lead instrument stand out. They are also able to handle the... read more
Michael Kocour - East of the Sun
by David A. Orthmann, All About Jazz
4-STARS Michael Kocour's solo piano recital is comprised of great American songs, most of which were popular in the early-to-mid twentieth century. There's nothing dated or anachronistic about the ways in which he handles the material. Throughout the record's ten tracks, Kocour establishes a state of equilibrium between a fealty to traditional song forms and jazz practices; a resourceful, imaginative streak; and a great deal of facility... read more
Nathan Borton - Each Step
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
The 1960s were fine and formative times for jazz guitar. Wes Montgomery was there. So was Grant Green. The pair led the pack, and still do, to an extent. Guitarist Nathan Borton, with his debut recording, Each Step, embraces the traditions of these two influences.
Borton's sound comes directly out of the straight ahead bebop style, beginning with the album's title tune, a Borton original—a gorgeous easy swinger. Cole Porter's oft-covered... read more
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