Home » Jazz Articles » Greg Osby
Jazz Articles about Greg Osby
About Greg Osby
Greg Osby: Public
by Jeff Stockton
I know the bills at Blue Note are paid by Miss Norah Jones, but when jazz fans are looking for the sound defined by the label in the '60s, it's comforting to know that the Blue Note legacy can be heard on the label itself. In 2004, Joe Lovano, Jason Moran and Greg Osby are all keepers of the flame. And no one over the course of the past decade has done more to nurture young talent and carve a ...
Continue Reading...Greg Osby: Public
by Eric J. Iannelli
Greg Osby Public Blue Note 2004
Alto saxophonist Greg Osby has been releasing about one album per year since signing to Blue Note in 1990, some of which have been contrived and shaky forays into rap, spirituality and other commercial gimmickry. (If you want a mix of rap and jazz, find a copy of Soweto Kinch's excellent Conversations with the Unseen ; if you want spirituality, look no further than Coltrane or ...
Continue Reading...Greg Osby: Public
by Jim Santella
Recorded live at New York’s Jazz Standard this past January, Public combines standards and originals in a program that features Greg Osby’s unique alto saxophone timbre and witty musical conversation. Like Monk, the artist enjoys a light use of dissonance in his uplifting interpretations. His cohesive quartet/quintet reaches deep inside and draws up the emotion.
What better way to explore from within than through “Summertime”? Osby and Nicholas Payton converse on its theme while piano, bass and ...
Continue Reading...Greg Osby: Public
by Mark F. Turner
Over the past couple of years Blue Note has released live recordings such as On This Day at the Village Vanguard by saxophonist Joe Lovano and The Bandwagon by pianist Jason Moran. The trend continues with Public, the new release by alto saxophonist Greg Osby. A respected musician, bandleader, and innovator with a unique presence in terms of composition and style, Osby's alto voice is easily recognizable. But make no mistake about his music, which is progressive, cerebral, and challenging--warranting ...
Continue Reading...A Fireside Chat with Greg Osby
by AAJ Staff
For as long as I have known Greg Osby, he has been searching. Perhaps that is why I admire Osby the man, the searching. Osby has been searching, is searching, and odds are will continue to search. So I really have no business speaking for him and will give the mic to Oz, the man, the myth, the searcher, unedited and in his own words. Although, I will part on this note. Everybody have fun tonight. Everybody Wang Chung tonight.
Continue Reading...A Fireside Chat With Greg Osby
by AAJ Staff
Every so often, Greg Osby goes through a ronin phase. He hermits himself from the public microscope and works on his craft. With great introspection and exploration, Osby returns with a renewed sense of artistry that kicks my ass. Oz's latest release, Inner Circle, has been lauded as his best" by many.
Since I'm not him, I certainly am not qualified to quantify anything he's done as being the best," but there are a handful I ...
Continue Reading...Capitol Jazz: Osby Returns to D.C.
by Franz A. Matzner
Kennedy Center Jazz Club Washington, D.C. October 16, 2003 Taking the stage last week with quite a different line-up than appeared on his latest release, Greg Osby illustrated just how far the Kennedy Center Jazz Club has come since opening its doors to small venue style jazz performance. Only in its second season, the Kennedy Center has already boasted numerous high profile visitors, and thanks to the innovative programming of musical director Dr. ...
Continue Reading...

