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Douglas Olsen: 2 Cents
JACK BOWERS - Allaboutjzzcom - November 21, 2020
What seems at first blush to be a nonet on this splendid new album is actually trumpeter Douglas Olsen's core quartet, amplified on various selections by talented guests who raise the number anywhere from a quintet to an octet. Even though Olsen has been a super-busy free-lancer on the New England jazz scene for more than two decades, 2 Cents is apparently his first recording date as leader of his own group; with that in mind, perhaps Olsen reasoned it would require all the support he could muster.
He needn't have worried. While it is good to hear those other voices, the clear impression is that Olsen's quartet would have fared well enough on its own, governed as it is by his bright and inventive trumpet, and comprising a solid rhythm section (pianist Tim Ray, bassist Dave Zinno, drummer Mark Walker). Olsen wrote half a dozen of the album's nine engaging tunes, and shows he has a genuine knack for that as well. Yaure Muniz makes it a dual-trumpet front line on a pair of those originals, "Miles Rumba" and "Boperation," while saxophonist Dino Govoni shares the stage with Olsen on alto saxophone ("Rat-Race") and tenor saxophone ("2 Cents," "Critical Mass," "Passage"). Trombonist Angel Subrero enlarges the group on "Miles Rumba," "Boperation" and Dizzy Gillespie's lyrical "Algo Bueno," tenor saxophonist Tucker Antell on "Miles Rumba," conguero Ernesto Diaz on "Algo Bueno," "Miles Rumba" and "Boperation."
Olsen favors brisk tempos, to which his agile horn is well-suited, starting with the opening number for quartet, "Tailwind," and including the fast-moving "Rat-Race," "Boperation" and "Passage," which rings down the curtain. There is an explicit Latin accent as well, on "Algo Bueno," "Miles Rumba" and "Una Para Ti." While Olsen solos most often—and, it should be noted, quite persuasively—Govoni, Muniz, Antell, Subrero and Ray make their assertive voices heard, as do Zinno and Walker. An impressive coming-out party that needs no balloons, fireworks or other trappings to ensure its success.
Dick Metcalf, editor, Contemporary Fusion ReviewsOctober 6, 2020:
Excitingly bold jazz trumpet Douglas Olsen – 2 CENTS: This is actually my first time enjoying the excitingly bold jazz trumpet style of Douglas Olsen, but it certainly won’t be the last… his excellent trumpet and flugelhorn mastery are joined by tenor & alto sax from Dino Govoni, trombone and gulro from Angel Subero, trumpet by Yaure Muniz, tenor sax from Tucker Antell, piano by Tim Ray, bass from Dave Zinno, Mark Walker doing drums and Ernesto Diaz on congas, and as you listen to the stimulating movement on tunes like “Rat-Race“, you’ll be tappin’ & snappin’ right along with the players. I didn’t find any LIVE videos on Douglas’s YouTube topic channel, but the entire album is there for you to enjoy…
The 5:27 “Boperation” will be an “instant hit” for jazz DJ’s across the globe, and will be getting some HUGE amounts of airplay… superb recording on this song!
If you love to dance to Latin jazz, you’ll find the band’s performance of Dizzy’s “Algo Bueno” (Something Good) very much to your liking… this tune made me decide to add the entire album to my iPhone player, a spot for only the very best.
After listening through the album only once, my choice for personal favorite of the nine tunes offered up was easy… “Critical Mass” is an original by Douglas with a totally sophisticated feel through and through!
I give Douglas and his players a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating for this exceptionally good release, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) of 4.99. Get more information on Douglas’s page for the album. Rotcod Zzaj
#Excitingly #bold #jazz #trumpet #Douglas #Olsen
Next, trumpet player Douglas Olsen gives us his "2 Cents" with his latest nine-song release. Filled mostly with original tracks, Olsen wastes no time showing off his skills one the trumpet during the opening notes of "Tailwind." The rest of the band also find there way in to spotlight their amazing musical talents. Douglas Olsen swings away with the title-song "2 Cents," before adding a little Latin flair to his cover of Dizzy Gillespie's "Algo Bueno." He keeps the energy flowing with "Rat-Race," while "Boperation" will make you want to move your hips to the song's island rhythm. Douglas Olsen closes his new album with the emotional ballad "Una Para Ti" and the final jazz frenzy of "Passage." To find out more about Douglas Olsen and his latest release "2 Cents," please visit douglasolsen.net.
Midwest Record - Chris Spector:
DOUGLAS OLSEN/2 Cents: A trumpeter that's long been a spark plug of the New England jazz scene finally steps out with his own debut. One of those cats that's played everything with everybody, he keeps it daddio here even with a rotating cast bringing up the rear. A certified swinger, it's about time he put his own hat in the ring and let it ring out. Well done.
Cadence Magazine:
“The clearly talented Olsen is the exception, as he constantly pushes at the limits of his musical knowledge, with a conversational tone and long flowing lines that move with an inner logic and force. Keep you ears open for him.”
Bob Blumenthal - Boston Globe:
“Doug took honors, however, with a flugelhorn statement on I Waited for You that balanced a strong attack with rich melodic ideas. Olsen also wrote the set's lone flag waiver Good Bread, Bad Jelly.”