Andrew Oliver's Portland, Oregon-based band digs deep into a genre-bending bag of original compositions for their first recording on OA2. The group has built a strong following for their diverse instrumentation, an exciting live performance aesthetic, and their carefully crafted originals that are inspired by equally eclectic sets of circumstance - an ode to a gas station; "Inattentive Attendant," musings on Hawaiian wildlife; "800 Turtles," and commentary on the bassist's taste in citrus;"Only a Quality Lime for Eric Gruber." The band lets their creative imaginations run free in developing often complex structures for their free-wheeling improvisations. 

ANDREW OLIVER piano, fender rhodes, wurlitzer electric piano
MARY-SUE TOBIN soprano & alto saxophone, clarinet
WILLIE MATHEIS tenor & soprano saxophone
DAN DUVAL guitar
ERIC GRUBER bass
KEVIN VAN GEEM drums

Andrew Oliver Sextet: www.andrewoliver.net/sextet 
OA2 Records: www.oa2records.com

credits

released April 20, 2010

Producer: Andrew Oliver
Recording engineer: Jason Powers
Recording location: Type Foundry Studio, Portland, OR
Recording dates: August 15-16, 2009
Mixing engineer: Jason Powers
Mixing location: Type Foundry Studio, Portland, OR
Mastering engineer: Timothy Stollenwerk
Mastering location: Stereophonic Mastering, Portland, OR

"Vibrant....brimming with ideas and influences." 
The Oregonian A&E 1/7/05
 

Noah Bernstein is a saxophonist/composer active in the boundless expanses of the Portland, OR music scene. As a freelance musician, Bernstein finds himself in a plethora of musical backdrops. Current projects include minimalist bebop Kin Trio, avant-garde champions Get Smashing Love Power, contemporary jazz/groove crooners Darren Kleintet, and bebop/free-jazz fusers Free-Bop Quartet. Most recently he can be found touring the world with the Oakland-based indie rock band tUnE-yArDs.

He is also the head copywriter and PR manager for Portland electronic music label Nueva Forma and graphic design firm Colorcubic. 

Bernstein holds degrees in jazz saxophone performance from Oberlin Conservatory and in creative writing from Oberlin College (’06). During his tenure he had the honor of studying under such venerable jazz innovators as Gary Bartz, Robin Eubanks, Billy Hart, Donald Byrd, and the late Wendell Logan.

A respected advocate for live music, Bernstein spent a year after graduation forming a Sunday night jazz series at The Feve in downtown Oberlin. (The series still continues to this day.) Upon moving to Portland in late 2007, he devoted three years to curating shows five nights a week at a venue in Portland’s Pearl District. His efforts transformed the space from an obscure tea-house/lounge to one of the more well-respected hosts of jazz performances in the city.

Bernstein grew up in rural Vermont. He carries with him its brooding forests and rolling hills wherever he goes.