Jazz Articles about Greg Osby

Greg Osby: The Invisible Hand

by Jim Santella
April 1, 2000

What is the invisible hand?

Maybe it’s the helping hand Greg Osby gets on his 14th Blue Note album from veterans Jim Hall and Andrew Hill. We could all use a helping hand like that from time to time. They’ve each written one selection for The Invisible Hand. Hill’s “Ashes" lopes along with a dramatic sense of adventure, while the guitarist’s “Sanctus" marches solemnly in step with French and Spanish classical sounds. Osby’s three ballads appear intimate and dreamy. While ...

Greg Osby: The Invisible Hand

by Mark Corroto
March 1, 2000

Greg Osby has come a long way from his beginnings in St. Louis playing funk and R&B. His sound crossed our radar screens after moving to Brooklyn and joining forces with Steve Coleman in the mid-‘80s to form M-BASE, an urban-beat driven jazz. Osby had a very calculated, sometimes emotionless sound. It was if he was working equations in his head as he played. Where his older recordings suffered from a staid studio approach, his recent effort, Banned In New ...

Greg Osby, Stefon Harris, Mark Shim, Jason Moran: New Directions

by Jim Santella
March 1, 2000

Another modern mainstream sextet plays standards. Not exactly. It’s true that Greg Osby, Stefon Harris, Mark Shim and Jason Moran are four of the most exciting younger cats to come along in years. And it’s true that they’re playing classic tunes from the modern mainstream vocabulary. But this front line is made up of two saxophones, giving the ensemble a unique sound quite apart from a standard lineup. What’s more, their treatment of these familiar melodies is nothing at all ...

Jason Moran: Soundtrack to Human Motion

by David Adler
October 1, 1999

Can we all just agree that this is the debut of the year, if not the record of the year? Jazz has seen its share of excellent young players, but 24-year-old pianist Jason Moran really raises the bar with his superb Soundtrack to Human Motion. Moran explains the title as follows: “I like to think this recording could serve as the soundtrack to all movements a human might make in a given dayï." If only my daily movements were anywhere ...

Greg Osby: Banned in New York

by AAJ Staff
March 1, 1999

Greg Osby is a student. He’s analyzed the Charlie Parker live tapes, looking them over for what makes them tick. He records his own shows on minidisc, to hear what he’s doing, to try to improve it. These tracks, from a couple of 1997 dates at Sweet Basil, show him as he is, and everything about this (from the live sound to the “raw” graphics) seems to say “Ignore the package – hear the music.” He is right – this ...

Greg Osby: Zero

by Glenn Astarita
January 1, 1999

“Zero” represents Greg Osby’s 3rd release for Blue Note records and perhaps his finest recording to date. Osby’s inaugural Blue Note release “Art Forum” sported a 360-degree turn for this artist. Having been a long time collaborator with Steve Coleman and Cassandra Wilson in the “Mbase” days, Osby subsequently turned his creative juices towards Hip-Hop and the results were less than satisfying. “Art Forum” was a stylish entry into the modern jazz scene and re-established Osby as a major talent ...

Greg Osby: Banned in New York

by Glenn Astarita
January 1, 1999

“Banned in New York” is Greg Osby’s 4th Blue Note release and was recorded live at an undisclosed venue in New York City. A surprisingly good recording considering the lone piece of equipment was a “mini-disk recorder” placed on a table in front of the band. Nevertheless, Osby and his exceptional band flaunt their range of musical gifts on this fast paced up-beat excursion.

Osby’s original composition “13th Floor” opens the set in glowing fashion. Pianist Jason Moran sets the ...