Otautahi Allstars: Otautahi Allstars

By Emma Philpott

A collective of Christchurch Jazz school graduates, Otautahi Allstars is the second release on Oakley Grenell's Central Records, a label set up to showcase his various musical projects. While release one was a solo jungle/jazz affair, this self-titled release from the Allstars – with Grenell at its core – is a record with a soft reggae feel. Members of Solaa, Shapeshifter and Verse 2 form the band at live shows and have added their flavours to Grenell's laid-back compositions, without missing a beat. While mostly instrumental, Brent Parks (Verse 2) lends his voice to a couple of tracks, including standouts End of Days and Pass Me By. The album artwork is reflective of the music, clean and understated, with minimal information about the Allstars included. It's a chilled out album from start to end, and after hearing one of the tracks played out by a DJ at the Soundsplash reggae festival I can guarantee that it's as good on the dance-floor as on my front deck. Also highly recommended for late summer evenings.

Related Information

Issues

NZ Musician

February/March 2003