Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Ben Winkelman - Heartbeat
by Ed Sapiega, Jazz Views (UK)
Ben Winkelman is a New York-based jazz pianist and composer whose music has been described by Downbeat as "one big, interconnected thing of beauty".
This is his sixth album and is the first with a quartet. The diverse group of Winkelman composed songs consisting of four songs for the trio and five songs for the quartet.
Winkelman had recorded five trio albums and felt that a bit of variety from the quartet "...would be a pleasant... read more
Carrie Wicks - Reverie
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Just shows how looks can be deceiving. Judging the book by the cover, vocalist Carrie Wicks appears to be someone who'd be comfortable interpreting the Crosby, Stills and Nash songbook. Instead, the Norah Jones-toned lady has a soulful sizzle to her voice, giving us some original pieces that are clever, catchy and swinging. She teams with Bill Anschell/p, Brent Jensen/ss-as, D'Vonne Lewis/dr and Jeff Johnson/b, with the tunes ranging from a rich... read more
Afro Bop Alliance - Revelation
by Raul da Gama, Latin Jazz Network
The relatively small, yet deeply rewarding output of the Afro Bop Alliance Big Band is skillfully wrought, thoroughly idiomatic, inventive and communicative on every level and it is not surprising that each album finds favour with audiences and students of big band music. Moreover the music's variety of mood, conception and sheer exuberance is a moving feast for the inner ear. Revelation, like all its predecessors, is ravishing kaleidoscope of... read more
Rich Pellegrin - Solitude: Solo Improvisations
by Cedric Hendrix, CirdecSongs
A pianist with a deft sense of touch and a good feel for melody, Rich Pellegrin goes it alone with this album of improvisations recorded over the summer of 2019. The pieces are relatively short (rarely lasting more than two minutes), but sometimes it doesn't take long to convey the message. Pellegrin is not as raw or abstract as Keith Jarrett, finding his voice inside comfortable chords and direct single-note melodies. Pellegrin is able to make... read more
Daria - Strawberry Fields Forever
by Paula Edelstein, AXS
Jazz vocalist Daria has released Strawberry Fields Forever, Songs By The Beatles on Origin/OA2 Records as the culmination of her own extensive solo touring and performance schedule. The 11-track recording features many of The Beatles' most popular compositions that Daria and her 16-member ensemble play with different rhythms and melodic structures while keeping the essences of each song intact.
The opening track, "When I'm 64," is a... read more
Juli Wood - Synkka Metsa
by Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation
Though this is my first listen to Juli's splendid sax work, it's easy to tell by the first 8 notes that she's a master at making those reeds sing... , and with her excellent cohorts (Alejandro Urzagaste - guitar; Clark Sommers - bass and Mike Schlick - drums), she's put together an album that will be on your playlists for a long time to come! Her sound is lush and full of life's breath, especially on tunes like "Taivas on Sininen ja... read more
Wil Swindler - Universe B
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Wil Swindler, fresh off of a Gil Evans Fellowship endorsement, began putting together new pieces for his Elevenet in 2008. The key to the ensemble is the mix of fresh (and classic jazz-inspired) compositions with an interesting set of instruments. Rather than only using the standard horns, guitars, and such, Swindler invokes less common jazz sounds (indeed, many of those used by Gil Evans in his ensembles): French horn, bass clarinet, flute.... read more
Jeff Baker - Phrases
by Michael J. West, Downbeat
***
Phrases is a collection of beautiful, unquestionably soulful songs by singer Jeff Baker and a remarkable group of 11 musicians. The disc is moody and meditative, but spends about 80 minutes never altering its cast, to its detriment.
The album's title applies to four of its six originals. Baker cribbed lines from his favorite writers, including Stephen Chbosky, Pablo Neruda and J.D. Salinger, and recontextualized them with... read more
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