Dan O'Brien Group - Inside Out - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

For his second on Origin, New York pianist Dan Cray draws on the inspiration he received from a year spent living and working out in the Sierras and hiking in Big Sur. With rising star Dayna Stephens on saxophone, along with drummer Mark Ferber and Cray's longtime bandmate, bassist Clark Sommers, Cray's mix of his own compositions and arrangements of several rarely heard standards offer a meditation on nature and the search for peace wherever you are. InchEvery second is executed with taste and balance - a kind of jazz feng shui.Inch - Downbeat

Charles-Valentin Alkan - Klavierwerke [COMPACT DISCS] date 09/13/2012

Composer and arranger Dan Cavanagh pulls together a creative ensemble of musicians from around the country for his new , InchPulse.Inch Cavanagh's writing & arranging covers wide expanses through this big band concept album, often interspersed by the readings and poetry of Tim Young. With shades of Jim McNeely, and hints of Bob Florence, Cavanagh's writing is engaging from the very beginning as he captures the spirit of the music with a patience and maturity that fits neatly in the continuum of modern large ensemble composers, from Gil Evans through Maria Schneider. A runner up in the 2005 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's Competition.