True

Jeff Oster

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 28, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Retso Records
• ASIN: B000SOHIS0
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,604 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Review
Trumpet/flugelhorn player Jeff Oster blossoms into a real artistic force in contemporary instrumental music with True. Once again produced by Will Ackerman, Oster has also again surrounded himself with some amazing talent (e.g. T. Bone Wolk and Michael Manring on bass, Philip Aaberg on keyboards, and Eugene Friesen on cello, to name just a few). Oster expands his musical palette even broader this time around, with elements of jazz fusion, world beat, electronica, and new age sprinkled throughout the album. No matter which genre, everything the man touches turns to gold, due in no small part to his composing talent (he wrote or co-wrote every song). It might sound like hyperbole, but we may be witnessing the emergence of the next instrumental superstar.

I don t have the space to detail all ten tracks and do them justice, yet I m confounded about which to leave out. Saturn Calling features actual radio emissions from the titular planet and starts out appropriately spacey before a thumping bass beat, trap kit drums, and cascading synths, as well as Oster's own echoed flugelhorn, convey a feeling of cruising the cosmos, switching from billowy floating to dramatic rhythmic passages. This Place comes creeping in via Aaberg's evocative echoed piano as well as shimmering keyboards and shuffling trippy beats from Jan Pulsford (who contributes elsewhere on the CD, too). Oster's flugelhorn and muted trumpet evokes vast spaciousness yet also a forlorn sense of isolation. It's one of the best tracks Oster has ever recorded.

Despite its title, Serengeti, (owing to the presence of Ugandan vocalist Samite who sings in his native tongue of the importance of this special region), is less "worldly," and more a bouncy midtempo tune with a funky rhythm and a rolling melody that feels as if one was flying low over the African landscape. During the vocal passage, world beat percussion finally lends some ethnic feel to the piece. Sounds Like Sunshine has a big bold sound, cheerful and upbeat, and an infectious midtempo rhythm. Once in a Blue Moonlight (another tune co-written by the talented Pulsford) pulses with a sensual rockish/funky beat featuring some snazzy wordless vocals by Melissa Kaplan (her voice reminds me of Harriet Wheeler, vocalist for The Sundays) and she really cuts loose later in the track.

There's so much more I could write about: the pensive somber ballad, On One Knee, co-wrtten by Ackerman, the enchanting mystical world fusion number From the Dreamtime, and the tear-the-roof-off rollicking jazz-meets-world beat album closer, Mumbai. Jeff Oster (and all the talented artists who contributed to this disc) really raised the bar on this one. Brimming with the sheer love of making music (all types, moods, and tempos) True is a celebration of passion, artistry, soul and engineering/production wizardry. This being only his second full-length release, one is left to ponder the heights Oster (and company) may reach.
Highly recommended. --Bill Binkelman - NewAgeReporter.com

Review
Melody and pulse spin outward in a fusion of vibrant musical dialogue that soars through spatial imagination and passion to create astonishing dimensional compositions. Jeff Oster's new CD True is the brilliant formation of this congruent expedition... Oster's musical expression of flugelhorn and trumpet opened up an original sphere in the New Age/ World-Jazz genre last year, with his debut CD entitled Released. A CD infused with harmonious structure and moving, fluid sound captivated fans and critics alike.
True embarks on a deeper exploration of Oster's innovative musical style, with an accompaniment of premiere musicians and co-writers. The line-up includes phenomenal musician and producer Will Ackerman, of Windham Hill, who produced True... World-class musicians include Keith Carlock, drums; T. Bone Wolk, guitar and bass; Philip Aaberg on piano, synthesizer; and Michael Manring, bass. In addition, Oster also enlisted the incomparable vocal talents of Melissa R. Kaplan, Ugandan artist Samite and Noah Wilding...
True conveys multiple music configurations, yet seamlessly arrives in a cohesive expression. The album's tracks stratify from cosmos to world ethos with varying intensity, intonation and beat. Saturn Calling, the leading track, incorporates the sounds of Saturn's auroras recorded by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The orchestral feel of the piece has the majesty of an Olympic flourish, with an ethereal wind softly echoing from the auroras...
The second track teams Oster with Jan Pulsford (Cyndi Lauper and Chico Freeman) on This Place, to create a melodic flowing tune with an interesting beat that sustains the structure... Serengeti traverses a soft jazzy timbre and then leads into a verbal passage by Ugandan vocalist Samite in his native language. The lyrical spoken words impart the ancient pattern of life in the Serengeti and the importance for humankind to recognize a land vital to all...
Oster continues his channel of compositions with a beautiful arrangement entitled Violet, which he co-wrote with hard-rock drummer Patrick Gorman. Gorman performs an alluring mellifluous electric guitar lead that harmonizes with Oster's gentle flugelhorn in a parallel, melodic dance. An interesting departure for Gorman however; this musician demonstrates his adeptness as a consummate multi-faceted artist...
Ackerman unites with Oster on undoubtedly one of the most beautiful tunes on True, with On One Knee. Ackerman reigns unparalleled in an acoustic guitar voice, performing with a resonance that eloquently blends with Oster s phrasing. These two artists, along with pianist Philip Aaberg, compose a compelling sonnet of love...
The additional tracks on True forge an arena of sound influences from Tibet, India and Aboriginal, with a few pieces that relay an upbeat yet flowing score. This current CD is not so much a departure from Oster's previous release, but an expansion of technique and approach on the flugelhorn and trumpet to cross musical genres...
Oster's unique style has garnered wide appeal. When asked about his methods for composing the tracks on True and the album's concept, he replied: "There was no plan. The work culminated from looping sounds that built a foundation. My horn parts were secondary and then the process evolved from the initial elemental ideas. The title True is a pure representation of who I am. No matter where I am in the world, I can communicate with my horn better than I ever could with words."...
Oster has achieved an incredibly brilliant album that stands unique in its artistry. The persuasive resonance of this music is sure to attain a wide veneration. --Patrice Raplee
Seattle Spotlight
(August 2007)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great, original release!, September 26, 2007

By	G. Young (Fort Worth, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I discovered Jeff Oster on the internet a few years ago. Will Ackerman had produced and performed on his first album, so I figured Oster was worth a listen. I haven't stopped listening yet. He is an incredible performer and composer. This new album is just as melodic and inventive as his first. He's joined by some giants--Ackerman, Philip Aaberg, Michael Manring, for example--and some other wonderful vocalists and musicians. There is nothing extraneous on this album; every arrangement is perfectly crafted. Just listen to "On One Knee" and the way it builds, and you'll see what I mean. The professional reviews of it here on Amazon say it far better than I ever could. All I want now is for him to release another one--right now.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is nothing false about TRUE, December 8, 2007

By	T. A. HOGAN (Hailey, ID) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I travel the entire world in one sitting with this album, yet.. there's one special place it takes me every time I listen.. That unmistakable call to attention with the commanding call of the trumpet is just as demandingly clear as the muted one filling in behind ...leading me somewhere very special. Perhaps it's the gentle guitar of Will Ackerman, the not too dis-similar guitar of Patrick Gorman, Samite's weaving Ugandan vocals, or the dramatic cries of Melissa Kaplan, but leading them all is the unusually peaceful sound of Oster's flugelhorn and trumpet that capture and endear me to follow wherever they lead. From This Place to Mumbai, Violet to On One Knee, .. from Saturn Calling to Serengeti, .. each of these moves the very timing of my heart and carries me on a most amazing musical journey ..one without any falsehood, whatsoever.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drifting up towards a True thing, November 4, 2007

By	Nancy Taylor (Toronto) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jesff Oster takes you to distant places in your heart not your head. Perfect music to listen and watch rain on a windowpane or to work to - doing art - reading. A lovely mix of styles with no new age cliché riffs this album is a pleasure and well worth owning.