The Ostara Project
Cellar, 2022
8/10
An outfit spearheaded by the bassist Jodi Proznick and the pianist Amanda Tosoff, The Ostara Project make an impressive first album here with 8 lively, cultured and diverse jazz tunes.
“Delta Sky” starts the listen with Sanah Kadoura’s playful drums and Rachel Therrien’s soulful trumpet complementing the warm vocal scatting, and “Storms And Oceans” follows with Joanna Majoko’s very pretty vocals guiding the dreamy, lush climate.
Halfway through, “Lluviona” showcases the acrobatic drumming alongside the bright alto sax from Allison Au, while “Tides Are Turning” gets quite intimate, stirring even, and benefits much from the very expressive singing and Jocelyn Gould’s cozy, meticulous guitar.
The final two tracks are also top notch, and include the hypnotic, rich and busy “Bye Bye Blackbird” and the louder “Rise” exits with a powerful, elegant and rock influenced appeal that illustrates just how adaptable the band are.
The members in The Ostara Project have collectively reached 9 JUNO nominations and 3 JUNO Awards, and they bring that immense skill to these articulate and timeless compositions that were recorded in just 4 days.
Travels well with: Kirk Lightsey- Live At Smalls Jazz Club; Billy Drummond And Freedom Of Ideas- Valse Sinistre