Oasis

Recorded Live at Southend Cliffs Pavillion 4/17/95. At five in the morning, lagged up in his Southend hotel room, Noel Gallagher turned to a friend and said, 'It was only a year ago when we put out our first single!' It was a statement that forcefully brought home the huge phenomenon that is oasis. Feisty, contrary, belligerent, highly talented and music-fixated to an almost unhealthy degree, Noel's uniquely crafted songs, aligned with Liam Gallagher's inimitable vocals and a devastating wall of sound, have swept all before them, rightfully triggering a huge response from those who know the real deal when it comes along. And that's only the records.

As he was developing his formidable career in the early era of smooth jazz, the saxman proved an invaluable sideman of Chick Corea's Elektric Band, David Benoit's touring ensemble and a studio player for projects by such artists as Keiko Matsui and Mike Garson. Yet as a solo artist, he spent his first three albums searching for an identity that ranged from pop (Round Trip) to electronic mainstream jazz (Crossroads). With Oasis, his search came to a diverse, exciting, and highly enjoyable end. Marienthal applies his stellar blowing techniquest to styles ranging from folk to gospel, but the overall attitude he conveys is sweet and soulful R&B, as in the hoppin' grooves of the funky opening tracks "Hustlin'" and "Seafood to Go."

A little more throttle would have been welcome on New York Jazz Quartet's cruising-paced Oasis set from 1981. As it is, Roland Hanna on piano, Frank Wess on tenor sax and flute, George Mraz on bass, and Ben Riley on drums take a low-key approach to two Wess originals and four from Hanna. It's a pleasant session, but not one that lives up to the potential of its lineup. The material is respectable and the quartet knows it well enough, but perhaps not sufficiently to transform written parts into a dynamic group effort. Mraz is the standout performer. He is in command of a ready flow of ideas and is captured with a rich, full sound. His duet with Hanna on the pianist's blues "Funk House" is a highlight that finds the pair expertly working the spaces they give each other…