Jazz Articles about Greg Osby

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Greg Osby: St. Louis Shoes

by Franz A. Matzner
October 8, 2003

It takes time to assess St. Louis Shoes. In fact, to wax intellectual about the process, it requires the exegetical approach usually reserved for vast, inter-textual novels like Dr. Faustus or Gravity's Rainbow. Each encounter reveals ever new intrigues, insights, and moments of grace. And just like with Faust, you?d better go back to the source material. Each of the nine tracks on St. Louis Shoes is based on another composer's work. Through these, Greg Osby gifts ...

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Greg Osby: St. Louis Shoes

by Mark F. Turner
June 25, 2003

From the jazz sounds of his birthplace in St Louis to his present home in New York, the new recording St. Louis Shoes allows the listener to musically walk in the footsteps of one today’s most distinctive jazz saxophonists: Greg Osby. The nine compositions chronicle different composers and styles that have influenced the artist. As on his recent efforts Inner Circle and Symbols of Light, the music continues to thrive and encompass a crisp personality.

For the new recording, Osby ...

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Greg Osby: Q & A

by AAJ Staff
February 28, 2003

Saxophonist Greg Osby is a musician who doesn't believe in standing still. Born in St. Louis in 1960, Osby became one of the founders of the influential, innovative M-Base musical collective in New York City in the late 1980s. Osby has also produced one of the most interesting,diverse series of recordings in jazz over the past 15 years ' most of it released on the prestigious Blue Note label. Now in his early forties, Osby continues to challenge the musical ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...