Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Will Goble - Consider the Blues
by Lance Liddle, BeBop Spoken Here (UK)
Another Man Done Gone, a traditional chain gang song features guest singer Tabreeca Woodside who brings a Nina Simone feel to this protest song. A voice ideally suited to the material. Tardy shows on tenor. However, it's on Johnson's Magic Umbrella where Tardy shows that he's anything but tardy when it comes to dealing out a mind-blowing tenor solo! I found myself standing up and clapping even though I was the only one in the room! I don't even... read more
Shawn Maxwell - New Tomorrow
by Dan Healy, Chicago Jazz Magazine
Maxwell's latest disc with his New Tomorrow Quintet is an exciting extension of his edgy group approach that we have heard on previous albums. On Maxwell's last album, Alliance, he used a larger ensemble complete with an unusual collection of instruments, including guitar, voice and French horn. On that work Maxwell used the larger ensemble to explore envelope-pushing odd meters in the context of interesting compositional textures and hues. The... read more
Gail Pettis - May I Come In?
by Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
In her recording debut, the Seattle singer chooses a mixture of familiar standards and less-well-known songs, delivering them with warmth and intelligent interpretation. Pettis concentrates on serving songwriters' intentions, but her delighted treatment of Jimmy McHugh's "I Just Found Out About Love" includes one of two scatting episodes in the collection. She scats with musicianly understanding of harmony. There is not a lot of that going... read more
Mason Razavi - Quartet Plus, Volume 2
by Dave Rogers, WTJU, Richmond
Guitarist/composer Mason Razavi offers nine original tunes and a cover of "Caravan" on this augmented quartet performance. The remaining quartet members are Bennett Roth-Newell (piano, keys), Dan Robbins (acoustic, electric bass), and Cody Rhodes (drums). The group is expanded to a nonet for the second half of the program with additional players Justin Smith (trumpet, flugelhorn), Ben Torres (alto sax, clarinet), Oscar Pangilinan (tenor, soprano... read more
Randy Napoleon - Puppets - The Music of Gregg Hill
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Randy Napoleon sure does put an inimitable spin on the work Gregg Hill, where he employs vocals, many different instruments, and a versatile approach to jazz across these 11 diverse tracks.
"Andy's Lament" starts the listen with warm vocal scatting from Aubrey Johnson, as crisp drumming from Quincy Davis and Napoleon's fluid guitar lines make an indelible impression, and "Fan-O-Gram" follows with a swift and swingin' pace of playful bass... read more
Alex Goodman - Border Crossing
by Marty, The Jazz Music Blog
Alexander Goodman's very impressive début album on Origin Records features elements from several musical genres including jazz, classical, folk, new age and a few touches of world music instrumentation. Playing both acoustic and electric guitars with backup instruments including cello, bass and vibraphone, combined with the exquisite vocals of Felicity Williams, this is a sublime yet all encompassing recording that encourages the listener to... read more
Rich Pellegrin - Three-Part Odyssey
by Alan Bargebuhr, Cadence
An "odyssey," indeed. A journey from Seattle to.......where? Not one man's journey, at that, but the collective expedition of five men, all of whom, save for drummer Icasiano, contributed separate TripTiks to the circuitous route. And what's the significance of dividing the so-called odyssey into three parts? I'm sure I dunno, and there appears to be no way of finding out.
But, aside from this rather fustian pretense to a musical... read more
Danny Green Trio Plus Strings - One Day It Will
by Doug Hall, All About Jazz
LIVE REVIEW Acclaimed San Diego pianist and composer Danny Green and his trio, Justin Grinnell and Julien Cantelm performed a set supporting their CD release One Day It Will (2018), at the Lily Pad in Cambridge, Ma. Sat June 16th. The intimate setting of this small venue in the heart of a Cambridge neighborhood offered the perfect setting for the lyrically charged and the ethereal, absorbing, supple narrative of Green's compositions. The... read more
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