Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Raul Agraz - Between Brothers
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Here's an exciting collection of Latin moods by trumpeter Raul Agraz, who brings together a small-big band as well as strings on this release. Agraz himself has a warm and bel canto sound to his horn, and he lets it ride like a long boarder over the percussive pieces such as the charging "Obsesion" and post bopping "FDB." The horn sections are punching back and forth like middleweights. With the sensuous strings, you get a romantic samba on "In... read more
Grupo Los Santos - Clave Heart
by Peter Watrous, Descarga
Editor's Pick:
What a great, surprising recording, from a little known New York band, Grupo Los Santos. The band, Paul Carlon on saxophones, Pete Smith on guitar, David Ambrosio on bass and Beaver Bausch on drums are on its third installment and Clave Heart is pretty amazing, a mixture of religious singing and rhythms from Cuba and an absolutely modern Brooklyn jazz sensibility. It is a strange combination at first, because the music... read more
Ben Winkelman Trio - The Knife
by Eugene Ball, Loudmouth: The Music Trust E-Zine (Australia)
There is a school of thought that suggests that artists create in order to better understand the world in which they live. From this perspective, music can be viewed as a way of knowing; a way of creating sense and order in the musician's world. Though this might seem an overly profound idea, it is such a normalised aspect of a musician's life that it often exists unnoticed, as a hum beneath the static of daily musical activity. The Knife, the... read more
Tim Green & Trio Cambia - Change Of Seasons
by John Sunier, Audiophile Audition
Cambia comes from the Latin and means "change," as is obvious from seeing the assignments of the trio members here. But the trio intends it to also have a broader meaning regarding changing perspectives and discovering new horizons. The trio must make an interesting little choreography when they perform in person! The eight tracks are not the usual jazz Christmas album. One is an improvisation just cooked up during the recording session. I... read more
Svetlana and the Delancey Five - Night at the Speakeasy
by Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs Blog
If you love the music from the 1930's, this CD is the perfect choice. From the very first cut, ("All I Want"), composed by vocalist Svetlana Shmulyian, you are transported to a time of 'Flapper' dresses, tight fitting skullcaps and cups full of Moonshine. The arrangements set the mood for the musicians to perfectly interpret. An Ellington and Strayhorn tune, "Just A Sittin' and A Rockin'" is fresh to my ears and recalls that space and time... read more
Stan Bock Ensemble - Your Check's In The Mail
by Jeff Krow, Audio Audition
Portland, Oregon trombone player extraordinaire, Stan Bock, has had a largely low key jazz career. He entered the U.S. Air Force band program in the mid-70s, where he served as a trombone soloist with various groups for nearly 19 years before retiring in 1994. He then settled in the Portland area and has been an active freelance sideman as well as a music teacher ever since in the Pacific Northwest. His two prior CDs are from 1999 (Of Fathers... 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
Brian Owen - Unmei
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
The debut album from trumpeter Brian Owen shows off a set of original compositions with a fair amount of musical complexity involved. Owen has reasonably sharp chops, and the ability to pull off a solo with high technical skill. The band backing him up here has as much or more ability, with John Hansen playing a particularly skilled piano turn, Jay Thomas on sax, and Phil Parisot and Jon Hamar holding up the rhythm end very capably. The... read more
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