Andrew Oliver

Pianist, Composer, Arranger – Portland, OR

CD Release Tonight!

Posted on | April 8, 2010 | No Comments

Well it’s arrived, our CD Release concert for the sextet is this evening, over at TaborSpace in SE Portland.  This is really an amazing new venue in town, with a fantastic Steinway and a great “living room” vibe.

Brett Campbell wrote a really nice review of the new album over at Willamette Week:

[ELECTRIC JAZZ] With his Kora Band and Portland Jazz Composers [Ensemble], hard-working young keyboardist Andrew Oliver has become a mainstay of this city’s jazz scene. His high-energy second sextet release gets the precipitation percentage wrong, but just about everything else right.

82% Chance of Rain is an eclectic collection, but a year of honing these 10 tracks has allowed them to benefit from the variety of the composers’ well-integrated yet distinctive styles, rather than sounding like several different bands. Oliver’s own memorably melodic compositions (“Inattentive Attendant,” “800 Turtles,” “Biannual/Biennial”) tend to be fairly straight ahead, even playful (“Very Small Island”); throughout, he makes smart use of retro tech like the Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric piano without sounding merely throwback.

Guitarist Dan Duval’s pieces (“Public and Republic,” “Only a Quality Lime for Eric Gruber #1”) unleash some crunchy electric-guitar excitement, while drummer Kevin Van Geem’s contributions (like “Bolivar” and the title cut) add an indie-rock vibe. And saxman Willie Matheis scores with a warm ballad, “I Am Yours.” Matheis (tenor and soprano sax) and Mary-Sue Tobin (alto and soprano saxes and clarinet) contribute soaring lines that herald the ascension of a generous, diverse band that can appeal to fans of new jazz as well as older genres like fusion and post-bop. BRETT CAMPBELL.

And, of course, you can check out the album over on the right side of this page, and CD’s are available at the OA2 site.

Thursday, April 8, 7:30 PM
Andrew Oliver Sextet CD Release!
TaborSpace (http://www.taborspace.org)
5441 SE Belmont (corner of SE 55th and Belmont)
Portland, OR 97215
$7-15 sliding scale
All Ages!

Thanks everyone!

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  • Andrew Oliver

    I'm a Portland-based pianist, composer, and arranger. Here you can find more information about me and my projects. The main page contains my blog, and there are regular updates and new content throughout the site. Enjoy the music!

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