Jazz Articles about Greg Osby

Greg Osby: Symbols of Light (A Solution)

by AAJ Staff
October 15, 2002

I love any kind of string-driven thing. From guitars to fiddles...it’s all good. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this alto player accompanied by his rhythm section and a spry string quartet.

Saxophonist Greg Osby puts together a unique gathering of sounds as he harnesses (or is it – unleashes) seven musicians of quality and compassion. The rhythm section includes: Jason Moran (piano), Scott Colley (bass) and Marlon Browden (drums/percussion). Then there’s the added richness of the string quartet ...

Greg Osby: Inner Circle

by Mark F. Turner
August 1, 2002

Jazz fans searching for a quintessential forward-thinking artist should look no further than the musical musings of Mr. Greg Osby. He's an artist who will not be satisfied with the status quo. Distinguished as an alto saxophone stylist, his voice is unique and easily recognizable among the masses. His recordings of the past few years have all been modern exercises in jazz music that are entertaining, cerebral, and illuminating. As any successful visionary, he has surrounded himself with like-minded individuals ...

Greg Osby: Symbols of Light (A Solution)

by AAJ Staff
August 1, 2001

Strings and woodwinds make an alluring jazz combination. On his most recent exploration into the possibilities of improvised music, adventurous alto and soprano saxophonist Greg Osby enlists a string quartet to complement the conventional jazz rhythm section.

Osby has as an essential goal the organic integration of strings into the program. And the pieces that exude the most distinct sound are the ones where the strings play a primary role in melodic development. “Repay In Kind” is the strongest example ...

Greg Osby: Symbols Of Light (A Solution)

by Jim Santella
August 1, 2001

By dedicating pieces to specific jazz masters, Greg Osby honors the tradition without repeating it. High on individuality since he joined Blue Note in 1990, the saxophonist has dared--on past albums--to introduce jazz to funk, hip-hop, street poetry and more. His creative freshness is what drives him. It's that uniqueness of spirit that moves each of Osby's projects up a notch. This time out, it's a string quartet.

By writing sensual counterpoint for the string quartet and having his piano ...

Greg Osby: Symbols of Light (A Solution)

by David Adler
August 1, 2001

Both Ted Nash and Tom Harrell have explored the “double quartet" concept. Now we can add to the list Greg Osby, whose music sounds nothing at all like theirs. Supplementing his working quartet (Jason Moran, Scott Colley, Marlon Browden) with a string quartet, Osby heightens the dark, austere quality of his harmonies. This results in some of the most moving music of Osby’s career. On the whole, it’s more striking and focused than last year’s Invisible Hand. It also features ...

Greg Osby: Symbols Of Light (A Solution)

by Mark Corroto
July 1, 2001

With ten previous Blue Note recordings now behind him, Greg Osby’s jazz ship still flies under jazz stardom’s radar. Perhaps it is because he has neither taken the Young Lion’s bebop-rehash approach to music, nor shunned popular appeal and played free jazz. His music, like Charlie Parker 45 years before him, has always been about taking the next logical step in jazz. In his early years, teamed with the M-BASE collective, Osby pushed the musical boundaries outward. Like bebop’s “Chinese ...

Greg Osby: The Invisible Hand

by John Sharpe
June 1, 2000

It’s always been a sign of respect and acceptance in the jazz world when the “old pros” partake in a session with the new kid on the block. The fact that legendary veterans Jim Hall (guitar) and Andrew Hill (piano) were enthusiastic participants on Greg Osby’s new CD speaks volumes for this “newcomers” talent. Both men wrote a selection for the album; with Hall contributing the melancholy, classically influenced Sanctus and Hill penning the adventurous Ashes. Overall, The Invisible Hand ...