Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Tom Tallitsch - Perspective
by Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times
Philadelphia-based saxophonist-composer Tom Tallitsch enlists like-minded Philly comrades on his third outing as a leader. Tallitsch blends nicely with guitarist Victor Baker throughout, particularly on the delicate and contemplative opener ?Swirl? (reminiscent of Wayne Shorter's ?Fall?) and the pensive ballad ?Propellerhead.? They take things up a notch on the highly charged ?Red Giant,? which features Baker stretching on a fluid, warm-toned... read more
New Standard Jazz Orchestra - Waltz About Nothing
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Any orchestra that professes to establish a new standard had better be able to back that up. Happily for the listener, on its debut recording, Waltz About Nothing, Chicago's New Standard Jazz Orchestra can—and does. In a little more than two years, the NSJO has arisen as a worthy successor to one of the more exemplary ensembles ever to grace the Windy City, trumpeter Rob Parton's JazzTech Big Band. The equivalence seems predestined when one... read more
Erik Jekabson - A Brand New Take
by Matt Collar, All Music Guide
Over the last decade, trumpeter Erik Jekabson has established himself as one of the leading lights of post-bop jazz in the San Francisco area. A native of Berkeley, California, Jekabson studied jazz and classical composition, first at the Oberlin Conservatory, and later at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a professional, he divides his time between performing and teaching in the Bay Area, including at the California Jazz Conservatory.... read more
George Cotsirilos - Mostly in Blue
by Tom McCarter, KZSU, 90.1, Stanford, CA
With his perfectly round solo and chordal tone, Cotsirilos weaves a tight, swinging fabric that is fully integrated and readily digestible. Bop, beautifully performed. Sounds like it is straight out of Blue Note in the 60s, but all tracks are original, and there isn't a dull track amongst... read more
Unhinged Sextet - Clarity
by Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation
What a fantastic jazz album to close out this issue with... the energy levels are far beyond the pale, as pianist Michael Kocour leads the talented sextet into jazz that just won't stop! On tunes like the opener, "Unhinged", you'll find yourself trying to (mentally) direct the sextet via your tapping toes - I'll tell ya', this is some of the best jazz I've listened to (yet) this year! If you're yearning for something with a more funk-i-fied... read more
Seattle Womens Jazz Orchestra - Meeting of the Waters
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
The Seattle Women's Jazz Orchestra features some of the top jazz musicians and arrangers in the Pacific Northwest, primarily focusing on original music written for the band. The tight harmonies of the ensembles and strong soloists are key ingredients to their success. This is not strictly an all-female band like Diva, as drummer Jeremy Jones and lead trumpeter Dennis Haldane are regular members and there are several male guests in the trumpet... read more
George Cotsirilos - Past Present
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Mainstream guitar trio jazz possesses a soundtrack quality that makes it perfect for sleek and sophisticated noir movies boasting sardonic shamuses and dangerous dames. George Cotsirilos typifies this type of jazz guitar playing. If jazz guitar had an aroma, Cotsirilos' brand would smell of Yardley Soap, single-malt scotch, and unfiltered cigarettes in close quarters: dark and slightly decadent, full-bodied, and warm.
On his third OA2... read more
Charlie Apicella & Iron City meet The Griots Speak - Destiny Calling
by Marco Cangiano, The New York City Jazz Record
By merging the soulful iron City trio with The Griots Speak quartet he founded in 2022, Charlie Apicella has created one of the most original outfits on today's scene. The guitarist has established himself as one of the key interpreters of the guitar-organ-drums trio tradition. A devotee of Pat Martino and Yusef Lateef (particularly with regards to the latter's composing), Archie Shepp, B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix, Apicella has blended these... read more
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