Showing posts with label Jeff Oster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Oster. Show all posts

Instrumental New Age /Ambient/Jazz Review: Jeff Oster-Reach

Release Date: October 5, 2018
Label: Retso Records
Three years ago, I covered Jeff Oster’s Next album. If you do a search on my New Age Music Reviews site it will show several other artist reviews as well. The reason is that Jeff is in demand to play on other people’s albums. There is a very good reason for this. He is one of the few Flugelhorn and Trumpet players in the genre that plays a chill ambient type of music that new age recording artists and listeners alike want to hear. He also is able to interject jazz and funk elements into his recordings. Besides that, it is a great partnership. Jeff is masterful with his instruments and with the new album out now titled Reach, he is in great form and so are the folks that accompanied him on the album.

Reach has nine tracks in total and it is a great mixture of sound and textures that will do many things to you while listening including relaxing, feeling energized and wanting to move, becoming contemplative, just about everything one person can think of or do during the listen of one album really. It invites you in at the outset and you never want to leave that “musical comfy chair.”

I love new age music when it combines jazz and world rudiments. “Le Caveau” is a great example of those sounds and atmospheres getting in sync. The music and sound clarity are amazing. The following track “Five Great Mountains” is just hypnotic. Jeff’s horn is superlative and the bass is incredible, in fact, I thought it might be Tony Levin, who seems to show up on everyone’s albums. It is, in fact, Benjamin J. Shepherd, who plays a huge role in the track, and the entire sound of the album actually. His rhythm and musical leadership in the track are exemplary. That kind of preciseness allows the star of the show to shine even brighter, so hats off to Benjamin for doing such a great job with his instrument. Everyone involved in this project is outstanding so I felt the need to list the credits below.

Some of the other instruments on this recording, besides the horns of course, that give it an overall world-jazz flavor, are the Erhu and Indian Flutes. Then there are very calming spiritual tracks like “The Lotus Within.” In my estimation, the reference would be the Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also known as the Indian or sacred lotus.  The emphasis is on sacred for this magnificent composition. 

To keep things fresh and on your “listening toes,” Jeff follows those two critical tracks with an upbeat jazz and funk-filled number titled “Troppo Y Boffo.” The Latin percussion and bass pulsate and drive the number while Jeff just glides through with his horn putting the veritable icing on the cake. It is Latin bliss, wonderful and colorful as it gets. This track could find a home on any good (worthy) jazz album.

Jeff Oster puts it all together on Reach. Every track is solid and consistent throughout. The combination of instruments, musical style and artistry of every contributing musician make this album one of the best in the genre this year. This comes as no surprise to me as everything I have ever heard from Jeff has been superlative from his own recordings to being a guest on other recordings. He is in a groove that keeps him at the forefront of the music industry and I can see that influence growing more all the time. In conclusion, I think that he will Reach a much larger audience with each successive release


Artists:
Jeff Oster – Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Ruslan Sirota – Piano, Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals
Robyn Ghosh – Guitar
Benjamin J. Shepherd – Bass
Tamir Barzilay – Drums
Pete Korpela – Percussion
Jenni Asher – Erhu (Track 4)
Ravichandra Kulur – Indian Flutes (Track 9)
Drew Allsbrook – Vocals (Track 4)

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
October 14, 2018

Founder of:

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks: 
1. Onward
2. Far Rockaway
3. Le Caveau
4. Five Great Mountains
5. The Lotus Within
6. Troppo Y Boffo
7. How Familiar
8. Velvet and Smoke
9. The Pink City

 

New Age Instrumental Review: Will Ackerman, Fiona Joy, Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster-FLOW

Release Date: October 6, 2017
Label: LMB Music

Sit back and let the music FLOW. That statement could not be supported in a more creative way than on this recording. Four accomplished musicians got together to create something very special.

Will Ackerman, Fiona Joy, Lawrence Blatt and Jeff Oster, all well know names in the new age music industry, combined their skills and experience to produce 11 tracks of outstanding instrumental music. There are several other contributors as well to make this entire effort a reality.

I think what I enjoyed the most about listening to FLOW was how that title fit so well. This is eclectic and very tastefully done. Because of the blend of musicians contributing to this project you get a little bit of all of them, and the end result becomes greater than the sum of its parts. A team effort if you will, is what makes this music so different from track to track.

If it’s Will Ackerman or Tom Eaton’s guitar and the production values they bring to the table or Jeff Oster’s gorgeous trumpet or flugelhorn calling out for an answer, this music beckons you to partake in the experience.  And Tony Levin, the most incredible and diverse bass player on the planet, is on the recording. He has become the resident bass player at Imaginary Road Studios, and god knows how he does it with all his other projects and live appearances on his schedule. All of the people involved seem to be in an endless cycle of creativity that has blessed us all for several years now.

The beauty of FLOW is the fact that individuals that have perfected their own sound and created their own legacy and styles have compromised that individuality to become one unit.  This is a unit that has a spiritual connection and purpose that is undeniable.

If you listen, feel and absorb the FLOW, you will come to your own understanding of what was accomplished on this album. Let the river of sounds and textures take you away for a while, I can guarantee you will be back for a second trip down the stream.

Note: You can have the rare opportunity to see all of these artists together at Carnegie Hall on October 6th! Tickets Here.

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
September 12, 2017
Founder of:

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks: 
01. Arrival
02. Whisper Me This
03. Flow
04. Free Ascent
05. Waiting for Sunshine
06. Waters Gather
07. And the Sky Was
08. A Night In Nocelle
09. Tenth Life
10. Rest Now My Friend
11. For Rosita & Giovanni

 


New Age/Jazz Review: Jeff Oster-Next

Release Date: April 14, 2015
Label: Retso Records

Ever think of what it would sound like if Pink Floyd joined forces with Miles Davis? Well that is the sound of Jeff Oster as people described him over the years. Personally I love both of those artists, they were building blocks to our musical legacy and idolized by generations of listeners. Jeff Oster is an acclaimed trumpet and flugelhorn player that has been bestowed many honors over his career. After giving his new release Next a good listen I can understand why. Somehow he has been able to take jazz, funk, ambient and new age and make it a unique and compelling sound all his own.

As the curtain opens with the title track Oster starts things off in the right way giving the music the direction it needs to capture a listener. Nile Rodgers (Chic) adds his smooth and funky guitar lines to the soothing sounds produced by Jeff’s horn. It just could not have started any better.

As the man says-“If you want to know truly who I am, listen to my horn.” I think that sums it up in one statement and trust me it plays out just like that on Next. Jeff’s flugelhorn and trumpet are brought to the forefront of the music by the talented production hands of Will Ackerman from Imaginary Road Studios. It was mixed by the capable hands of Tom Eaton and then mastered by Bob Ludwig.

The combination of smooth jazz and new age is a compatible marriage of sound and without sounding cliché; it’s like chicken soup for the soul, musically speaking. It’s quite beautiful and picturesque. This music allows you to shape and mold the pictures in your mind’s eye and I can guarantee it will be the most pleasant journey.

“Gardens of Varanasi” invokes a spiritual atmosphere, like an invite to heaven this track leads you down the path to enlightenment. With purpose and direction the music sets you at ease and gives you comfort. What I found interesting was the fact that you don’t have to necessarily be a fan of new age or jazz to find enjoyment with this release. I think the overall presentation has something to offer every one. It was a challenge to choose three key standout tracks because each one was impressive in its own right. My personal tastes were a perfect fit for getting into this album; I love jazz, all kinds and new age as well so it was like putting on my pants every day, it fit.

“I Can’t Make You Love Me” is a delicate and beautiful outreach to that special someone, an invitation to see the other party as they truly are and decide if choosing to be by their side would feel right. If the music has anything to do with that, I am sure the answer would be yes. Everything about the track, the piano, horn, drums and bass invite you in and make you feel right at home, like you belong. In essence all of Jeff Oster’s music is special like that. He has created a masterpiece of instrumental bliss.

Next slides down into your soul like your favorite ice cream on a hot summer day. You feel satisfaction and complete joy. This is relaxation and satisfaction taken to the next level. I am certain this recording will receive its share of attention before the year is through.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Next, Gardens of Varanasi, I Can’t Make You Love Me

Tracks: 
01. Next (feat. Nile Rodgers)  
02. Night Train to Sofia      
03. Gardens of Varanasi      
04. Turn Left At San Pancho      
05. I Can't Make You Love Me      
06. On Mother's Day      
07. Half a Cookie      
08. Ibiza Sunrise      
09. Avenue D  
10. The Mystery of B      
11. Heroes (feat. Jeff Taboloff)      
12. And We Dance

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder

April 13, 2015

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews