Jordan O’Connor’s Cash Cow

When We Were Little Girls *** ½
(The Breath Records 002)

I’ve been listening almost obsessively to this knockout indie release from an Ottawa-born bassist and his Toronto quartet. The band’s model seems to be Keith Jarrett’s mid-1970’s quartets – folk and Gospel vocabulary, loose structures, ecstatic improvisations – but it’s executed so arrestingly that it feels churlish to accuse O’Connor of being derivative. The Leader favours the low end of his bass and pens shambly, sing-song tunes you can’t get out of your head. Craig Harley is his spiritual equivalent on piano; Nick Fraser, an economical drummer who unobtrusively shapes the tunes’ forms; Mike Murley is the band’s ace in the hole: The wonderful saxophonist has played on dozens of albums, but I dare say never with this much joyful abandon. A delight from start to finish.

Paul Wells
The National Post
July, 15, 2000

The National Post - Best In Jazz 2000

1. Jordan O’Connor’s Cash Cow –

When We Were Little Girls *** ½
(The Breath Records 002)

A joyful debut from Ottawa-born, Toronto-based bassist and his exuberant quartet. Craig Harley's Keith Jarett-inspired piano, Mike Murley's blissful tenor-saxophone roar, Nick Fraser's intuitive drum grooves - on the albums best tracks, they give the most distilled expression of sheer happiness I've heard all year.

Paul Wells
The National Post
December 30th, 2000

 

FRAGMENTS VOL.1

Far reaching and winding for a jazz album, the introduction into Fragments serves as a good example of the varying hues of jazz Jordan O'Connor emulates and is influenced by. From a basic jazz arrangement in the style of the legends, the sound evolves into a brief kinetic pace before returning to a dreary, almost rainy Sunday afternoon atmosphere in "Fragments Part I." This song is percussion driven with touches of Latin and Salsa thrown in, but O'Connor's standup bass steals the spotlight deservedly in the middle portion. The arrangements also allow trumpet and flugelhorn performer Bryden Baird some quality performances during the beautiful yet somber "The Last Days (of my life)" before the pop "muzak" quality rears its ugly head in the brief "Fragments Part III." Oddly enough, despite being a jazz record, "Fragments Part IV" sounds like the conclusion to With Or Without You by U2. But it's O'Connor's signature piece "Sophie" which is the album's highlight by far, a sparse piano setting both tone and mood early on. The fusion of all instruments works excellently on "The Dream (Angela Rose)", particularly the horn sections laid over the piano melody. This album is definitely a jazz gem in the Canadian rough.

AMG EXPERT REVIEW: - Jason MacNeil

 

FALLING FORWARD

Jordan O'Connor/Justin Haynes/Nick Fraser
Falling Forward
The Breath TBR 008

One of the drawbacks of many recordings that seek to create a contemplative sonic environment is the lack of forward motion. Musical stasis turns quickly to boredom. That is not the case with this exceptionally intimate-sounding set of 12 improvisations by three of the most interesting younger instrumentalists based in Toronto and their guest, organist Craig Harley.

Jordan O'Connor's darkly resonate bass plays a key role in pushing the music forward, and his lengthy solo feature-which finds him tumbling at a progressively more intense pace-is a highlight of the recording. Each of the players takes a solo turn, with Harley's meditative organ interlude and Nick Fraser's minimalist drum piece ending the CD, but this is anything but a performance that stresses individual virtuosity. In fact, the mood set by the eight trio improvisations sustains on the solo interludes, making a very cohesive whole.

O'Connor's solo workout aside, this is a recording of small gestures and restrained beauty. On the three-part "Piece 27," guitarist Justin Haynes repeats simple phrases, a foreground for O'Connor and Fraser's ruminations. The second of these evolves into a claustrophobic interaction of choked strings, chimes and gongs that makes it feel like you've descended into the clock workings of a bell tower.

Somewhat brief, at just under 50 minutes, Falling Forward is a highly effective exercise in mood manipulation.

James Hale

CODA Magazine