Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
George Cotsirilos - Variations
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
This is the kind of jazz guitar trio date that lifts you up so much that you almost feel guilty not writing some long screed nobody will read about how good they are. We won�t. This trio smokes! Tasty and in the pocket throughout, all we can say is you miss this at your own risk. Hot... read more
Chris Parker - Late in Lisbon
by Javier Antonio Qui�ones Ortiz, Jazz Review
Pianist Chris Parker wrote all ten compositions on Late in Lisbon, incorporating a contemporary sounding �lan with high ended sonic textures provided by violinist Rob Thomas and saxist Peter Epstein on alto & soprano. The latter two have finely honed chops with untraceable sonic personalities, giving the date its singular aural character. The record manages to swing from a Latinized jam opener �where everyone but anchorman Tony Marino solos his... read more
Mark Buselli - Untold Stories
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Ah! The hard bop quintet! The apotheosis of modern jazz is well represented here under the hands of leader/trumpeter Mark Buselli and his team of Danny Walsh/sax, Steve Allee/p, Jeremy/b and Steve Houghton/dr. The tunes are composed by either Allee or Buselli, sans a nifty reading of the rarely heard Ellington piece �Angelica.� Allee�s pieces such as �What About Me?� and �Slider� have snapping rhythms and display the composer�s sleek touch on... read more
Seattle Womens Jazz Orchestra - Dreamcatcher
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
The mostly all-female Seattle Women's Jazz Orchestra is a solid stage band that plays straightahead jazz. Few surprises occur in the arrangements but one could imagine this band being fun to see in concert. Greta Matassa is impressive during her two vocals ("Fly Me To The Moon" and "As Long As I'm Singing") and the best soloists are tenor-saxophonist Sue Orfield and pianist Ann Reynolds. The ensembles are clean and full of spirit and most of the... read more
Joan Hickey - Between The Lines
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence (Oct-Dec 2007)
On Between The Lines pianist Joan Hickey delivers a CD that is more Jazz-centered with emphasis on Blues accents and the free floating pulse established long ago by the '60's Miles Davis Quintet. "With A Song In My Heart" and "The Man I Love" get strong, exuberant interpretations that feature saxophonist John Wojciechowski going wild, playing a hard, burrowing tenor on "Song" and a strong melodious soprano on "Man."
Hickey proves herself a... read more
Ben Paterson - Breathing Space
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
Hey, Origin Records - don't stop with just one CD by Ben Paterson and his trio. Origin gives us no indication where Ben Paterson comes from, but I can tell you that musically, he comes from the long and honored tradition of piano cats with great chops. Paterson, who looks like a youngster from the photo, plays with authority; understands the piano bop tradition from note one; leaves space intelligently (notice the album title) and swings like a... read more
Anthony Stanco - Stanco's Time
by Michael van Gee, Jazz 'N' More (Switzerland)
5-STARS Albums with great trumpeters are released again and again, such as this magnificent album by Anthony Stanco, who was born in Detroit but now lives and teaches in Michigan, "Stanco's Time", which he recorded with a top-class quintet, including Randy Napoleon, Xavier Davis, Rodney Whitaker, Joe Farnsworth, and with Walter Blanding (ts) as a guest on three tracks, expanding the quintet to a sextet. The album's program consists of... read more
Darden Purcell - Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood
by Carmel DeSoto, Jazz Music Archives
4-STARS Darden Purcell's album, "Love's Got Me In A Lazy Mood," unfolds as a project that is a meticulous assembly of jazz artistry. The eleven tracks finely exhibit Purcell's mastery as a vocalist and the collaborative spirit that jazz embodies. With arrangements and an original by Shawn Purcell, they present a vocal jazz set that reflects jazz's past elegance while carving out a contemporary program in sound and texture.
"Love's Got... read more
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