Jeff Oster

Hi everyone,

We are TWICE as happy to let you know that RELEASED has reached #1 for the second
straight month on NAR!

Click here to see the October 2005 chart:

http://www.newagereporter.com/charts/top100.asp?m=10&y=2005

Once again, Jeff would like to thank all of the radio stations around the world for
sharing RELEASED with their listeners. Your support for this record is MOST
appreciated!

And as always, a VERY special thanks to Ed Bonk with LAZZ Promotions for his
invaluable assistance in helping RELEASED hit #1 once again. An artist can't do it
alone, and to have a partner like Ed Bonk in your corner makes all the difference.

The New Age Reporter (NAR) is a major resource for new age, ambient, world radio
/Internet airwaves charts.

The top 100 chart is compiled from radio playlists submitted each month by
broadcasters around the world that report to the NAR network. - New Age Reporter

While his ambient-electronic approach to the trumpet and flugelhorn are perhaps not as commercial and in the pocket as 2000s hitmakers Rick Braun and Chris Botti, the Florida-bred Jeff Oster -- years after abandoning his musical dreams in favor of success in the financial world -- scored impressive breakthrough success in the new age world with his 2005 debut Released.

He owes some of that success to the internet; getting 40,000 downloads on MP3.com attracted the attention of legendary guitarist (and Windham Hill Records founder) Will Ackerman, who became an important collaborator. Released, which Oster described as "Chet Baker meets Dead Can Dance," won the 2005 Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album awards at the NAR (New Age Reporter) Lifestyle Music Awards. The Oster/Ackerman composition "At Last" also won the Best New Age Song award at the 2005 Independent Music Awards.

Ackerman takes Oster to the next level as the producer of True, an exciting yet relaxing, spiritually inspiring, musically challenging work that blends graceful melodies with edgy electronic new age, otherworldly soundscapes, and artful touches of exotica.

On the opening track "Saturn Calling," Oster's dreamy flugelhorn melody sweeps over an extraterrestrial landscape that's all at once fluid, grooving, and tribally organic. The same vibe continues but in a slightly more low key mode on "This Place" and "Serengeti" before Oster blends his best new age sensibilities (complete with Patrick Gorman's sparse acoustic guitar) with a haunting classical/chamber music flavor on "Violet." He and Ackerman vary the style from there, mixing spaciness and pop/soul with Tibetan throat chants on "Tibet," going film score orchestral on "Sounds Like Sunshine," and digging into a hip and soulful cool on "Once in a Blue Midnight." Perhaps the most conventionally beautiful new agey piece is the completely organic "On One Knee," a contemplative prayer-like song blending Oster's horn, Ackerman's trademark lonesome acoustic guitar, and Philip Aaberg's lush piano harmonies.

Overall, Ackerman has the best description of the unique chapter Oster adds to the new age realm: "the elements are familiar, but the synthesis is unique."

Jonathan Widran - All Music Guide (Jan 29, 2008)
- All Music Guide

From the It Can't Get Much Better Than This category:

The Broadcasters have spoken!

RELEASED, the debut album from trumpet-flugelhorn artist Jeff Oster, produced by Grammy Award winner Will Ackerman, has won TWO 2005 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards - and
they are:

***************************************

********* Album of the Year *************

*************** and *******************

* Best Contemporary Instrumental Album *

**************************************

Here's a complete list of the winners:

http://www.newagereporter.com/admin/award_finalists.asp

The NAR Lifestyle Music Awards are sponsored by New Age Reporter
(http://www.newagereporter.com), the industry's premier source for New Age, World, Ambient, Electronic, Native American, and Celtic music.

Votes were cast by the worldwide Broadcasters (Show Hosts) that have reported to NewAgeReporter during the October 2004 thru November 2005 time period.

This is a far-reaching panel of Industry experts and lovers of the music NewAgeReporter represents, and it is an amazing honor to have been chosen by them as a winner in these two categories.

Jeff thanks each and every Broadcaster who voted for RELEASED in these awards, and
who continue to share the music with their listeners.

Your support is MOST appreciated.

**************************************
To add NAR's 2005 Album of the Year to your collection, just go to:

http://www.jeffoster.com

For a limited time - we'll make sure you get an autographed copy of RELEASED as you go ahead and order from http://www.jeffoster.com/products.html by March 1st, 2006.
______________________________________

Or, stop by your nearest Barnes and Noble or Borders, or other local music stores in your area.

And, don't forget iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, Backroads Music (800.767.4748) and more... - Charting in the NAR Top 10 - FIVE months in a row!

By Patrice Raplee


When is the last time you heard a piece of music so beautiful and calming that it was the embodiment of peace and tranquility? Moments of such feeling happen less as we grow into adulthood and our focus shifts to the complex and often-troubling reality of the world.

Jeff Oster’s CD Released climbs the peaks of emotional and musical purity, slipping the listener into moments of serene clarity. Oster’s As I Live and Breathe track heralds visions of the perfect summer day. Flowing waves of melodic dual flugelhorns wrap themselves into a musical drama that unfolds into a perfect symmetry of life at its most poignant.

Oster began playing horn at the age of eight and continued to refine his talent through top-ranked high school concert bands, numerous jazz, funk and cover bands. In the late ‘80s, he decided to make his living as a financial adviser. This way, he could pursue the further development of his musical skills and writing, without the economic fragility of a typical musician’s life.

Oster’s music is definitely not typical nor does it fall into a discernible musical classification. His style definitions began to arise after he submitted several songs to the once MP3.com site. He received in the realm of 40,000 streams over a few month’s period. Oster states, “It was clear to me that SOMETHING was happening with the music and that inspired me to go further.”

Trumpet and flugelhorn are not generally associated with ethereal, new age music as the lead instrument, yet Oster masterfully draws rich, warm fluid tones from his horns. His listeners compare his style to Windham Hillesk with Bill Chase-jazzy nuances.

In 2003, Oster had developed what he wanted to impart musically. He then sent William Ackerman of Windham Hill label an email and that led to Ackerman and Oster meeting. The culmination of great musicians such as T. Bone Wolk and William Ackerman joined Oster in his debut CD Released (with Ackerman producing), in July 0f 2005.

Since the ‘05 debut of Released, Oster’s music has steadily flourished and earned him several awards such as Winner Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album from 2005 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards; Best New age Song-At Last from 2005 Independent Music Award; Number one on Echoes with John Diliberto for September, 2005, to list just a few.

In September, Oster is back in the studio with William Ackerman at the helm of production. Oster replies, “The new CD will have a bit more movement and more rhythm. Many of the songs draw from various parts of the world (and out of this world!) and there’s a nice mix of beats and quiet moments. We’ve also lined up some amazing artists to join us for the sessions next month in Vermont.” In addition, Oster is in the process of developing a live show – one that will include video and film, as well as a blend of electronic and acoustic instrumentation.

Oster is an enormously talented musician with a career in reverse. Blessed with a wonderful wife, two gorgeous children and a lucrative day job, he has successfully built a stable and happy life that now supports the creation of his musical endeavors. He has the second part of his life to explore the realm of recording artist, composer and triumphant musician. He imparts, ”People take from the songs what they need and all in a very personal way. It’s an honor to be able to add something like this to the world…one I thoroughly enjoy and hope to do a lot more of for a long time to come.”

For additional information on Jeff Oster, visit: http://www.jeffoster.com & http://www.myspace.com/jeffoster

- Seattle Spotlight

Melody and pulse spin outward in a fusion of vibrant musical dialogue that soars through spatial imagination and passion to create astonishing dimensional compositions. Jeff Oster’s new CD True is the brilliant formation of this congruent expedition.

Oster’s musical expression of flugelhorn and trumpet opened up an original sphere in the New Age/ World-Jazz genre last year, with his debut CD entitled Released. A CD infused with harmonious structure and moving, fluid sound captivated fans and critics alike. True embarks on a deeper exploration of Oster’s innovative musical style, with an accompaniment of premiere musicians and co-writers. The line-up includes phenomenal musician and producer Will Ackerman, of Windham Hill, who produced True.

World-class musicians include Keith Carlock, drums; T. Bone Wolk, guitar and bass; Philip Aaberg on piano, synthesizer; and Michael Manring, bass.

In addition, Oster also enlisted the incomparable vocal talents of Melissa R. Kaplan, Ugandan artist Samite and Noah Wilding.

True conveys multiple music configurations, yet seamlessly arrives in a cohesive expression. The album’s tracks stratify from cosmos to world ethos with varying intensity, intonation and beat. Saturn Calling, the leading track, incorporates the sounds of Saturn’s auroras recorded by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. The orchestral feel of the piece has the majesty of an Olympic flourish, with an ethereal wind softly echoing from the auroras.

The second track teams Oster with Jan Pulsford (Cyndi Lauper and Chico Freeman) on This Place, to create a melodic flowing tune with an interesting beat that sustains the structure.

Serengeti traverses a soft jazzy timbre and then leads into a verbal passage by Ugandan vocalist Samite in his native language. The lyrical spoken words impart the ancient pattern of life in the Serengeti and the importance for humankind to recognize a land vital to all. Oster continues his channel of compositions with a beautiful arrangement entitled Violet, which he co-wrote with hard-rock drummer Patrick Gorman. Gorman performs an alluring mellifluous electric guitar lead that harmonizes with Oster’s gentle flugelhorn in a parallel, melodic dance. An interesting departure for Gorman however; this musician demonstrates his adeptness as a consummate multi-faceted artist.

Ackerman unites with Oster on undoubtedly one of the most beautiful tunes on True, with On One Knee. Ackerman reigns unparalleled in an acoustic guitar voice, performing with a resonance that eloquently blends with Oster’s phrasing. These two artists, along with pianist Philip Aaberg, compose a compelling sonnet of love.

The additional tracks on True forge an arena of sound influences from Tibet, India and Aboriginal, with a few pieces that relay an upbeat yet flowing score. This current CD is not so much a departure from Oster’s previous release, but an expansion of technique and approach on the flugelhorn and trumpet to cross musical genres.

Oster’s unique style has garnered wide appeal. When asked about his methods for composing the tracks on True and the album’s concept, he replied, “There was no plan. The work culminated from looping sounds that built a foundation. My horn parts were secondary and then the process evolved from the initial elemental ideas. The title True is a pure representation of who I am. No matter where I am in the world, I can communicate with my horn better than I ever could with words.”

Oster has achieved an incredibly brilliant album that stands unique in its artistry. The persuasive resonance of this music is sure to attain a wide veneration.

The release date for Jeff Oster’s True is Aug. 28.

For additional information on Oster or to pre-order a copy of True on CD, visit: http://www.jeffoster.com or go to http://www.amazon.com.

- Patrice Raplee (Seattle Spotlight - August 2007)

Trumpet/flugelhorn player Jeff Oster blossoms into a real artistic force in contemporary instrumental music with True. Once again produced by Will Ackerman, Oster has also again surrounded himself with some amazing talent (e.g. T. Bone Wolk and Michael Manring on bass, Philip Aaberg on keyboards, and Eugene Friesen on cello, to name just a few). Oster expands his musical palette even broader this time around, with elements of jazz fusion, world beat, electronica, and new age sprinkled throughout the album. No matter which genre, everything the man touches turns to gold, due in no small part to his composing talent (he wrote or co-wrote every song). It might sound like hyperbole, but we may be witnessing the emergence of the next instrumental superstar.

I don’t have the space to detail all ten tracks and do them justice, yet I’m confounded about which to leave out. Saturn Calling features actual radio emissions from the titular planet and starts out appropriately spacy before a thumping bass beat, trap kit drums, and cascading synths, as well as Oster's own echoed flugelhorn, convey a feeling of cruising the cosmos, switching from billowy floating to dramatic rhythmic passages. This Place comes creeping in via Aaberg's evocative echoed piano as well as shimmering keyboards and shuffling trippy beats from Jan Pulsford (who contributes elsewhere on the CD, too). Oster's flugelhorn and muted trumpet evokes vast spaciousness yet also a forlorn sense of isolation. It's one of the best tracks Oster has ever recorded.

Despite its title, Serengeti, (owing to the presence of Ugandan vocalist Samite who sings in his native tongue of the importance of this special region), is less "worldly," and more a bouncy midtempo tune with a funky rhythm and a rolling melody that feels as if one was flying low over the African landscape. During the vocal passage, world beat percussion finally lends some ethnic feel to the piece. Sounds Like Sunshine has a big bold sound, cheerful and upbeat, and an infectious midtempo rhythm. Once in a Blue Moonlight (another tune co-written by the talented Pulsford) pulses with a sensual rockish/funky beat featuring some snazzy wordless vocals by Melissa Kaplan (her voice reminds me of Harriet Wheeler, vocalist for The Sundays) and she really cuts loose later in the track.

There's so much more I could write about: the pensive somber ballad, On One Knee, co-wrtten by Ackerman, the enchanting mystical world fusion number From the Dreamtime, and the tear-the-roof-off rollicking jazz-meets-world beat album closer, Mumbai. Jeff Oster (and all the talented artists who contributed to this disc) really raised the bar on this one. Brimming with the sheer love of making music (all types, moods, and tempos) True is a celebration of passion, artistry, soul and engineering/production wizardry. This being only his second full-length release, one is left to ponder the heights Oster (and company) may reach.

Highly recommended.

Rating: Excellent - Bill Binkelman - Bill Binkelman - NewAgeReporter.com

JEFF OSTER
Released
Retso Records (2005)

More than delivering on the promise of his EP, At Last, horn player (trumpet, flugelhorn, and synths) Jeff Oster's first full-length recording, Released, is a flat-out success, blending catchy rhythmic pieces that blur the boundary of adult contemporary, smooth jazz and new age with moody introspective tone poems that wouldn't be out of place on albums from the respected ECM label. Oster gathered a wealth of talent to "sit in" on this release, including such luminaries as Will Ackerman (guitar), Philip Aaberg (piano), Charlie Bisharat (violin), Happy Rhodes (vocals), Jeff Pearce (guitar), plus a few more folks whose contributions are no less valuable but whose profile is less recognizable to readers of this site, I'd wager. Even though this album contains the entire EP, the new material is more than enough to justify adding this one to your collection if you enjoyed At Last, trust me on this.

NOTE: Rather than add any more comments on the previously issued music on this CD, here is a link to my review of the EP (http://www.windandwire.com/april04/at_last.htm); from here on out, my comments will be about the new material.

"Fool's Gold" starts things off in a melancholic and bluesy fashion, featuring Aaberg's expressive restrained piano and some of Oster's most nuanced flugelhorn playing. Ackerman contributes "parlor" guitar and Taylor Barefoot fleshes things out with some background embellishment on electric guitar. Oster also adds some sparse wordless vocals to the piece. As it was on At Last, the production and engineering is faultless. Mixing horns in with other instruments is not always easy, but everyone involved here did a splendid job. The piano is warm and rich in tone and Oster's horns resonate with superb echo and reverb.

"Final Approach" is another low-key tune, but with the addition of a pulsing beat underneath the synths and horns plus the wordless vocals of Ms. Rhodes. The snazzy synths are by Gregory Douglass. The mood of the song is more dramatic, even though it's fairly subdued. Rhodes' voice exhibits her characteristic ethereal range and quality. At times, one could even describe this cut as being quasi-ambient, in the same way that one or two tracks which featured flugelhorn on Jon Mark's A Sunday in Autumn could be categorized as such.

"Behind the Veil" brings Rhodes vocals more to the forefront and also incorporates some of the more dynamic/driving rhythms on the album. This is the song which includes Jeff Pearce, but unfortunately, since he is one of seven people on the song, picking him out won't be easy. Suffice to say that his contributions, whatever they may be, help make the song a vibrant exercise in moody horns, passionate percussion and beats, and synths, all of which evoke comparisons to Patrick O'Hearn (circa Trust and Metaphor).

Ackerman shines (and is quite recognizable) on the title track which he also co-wrote with Oster.
Featuring just flugelhorn, acoustic guitar, piano and some sparse electric guitar, this is a gentle reflective number. It displays the broad variety of music on Released, coming as it does after the uptempo "Behind the Veil."

"As I Live And Breathe" crosses over into something akin of ECM jazz meets new age
music, from the era of the late '80s and early '90s when Windham Hill and Narada were at their best. The rhythms are present but subdued, and the tone is a cross between melancholy and inviting.

Released is an excellent recording from every standpoint: artistic, technical, and variety of music offered. The mixture of rhythmic with more drifting pieces is perfectly balanced, yet the music offers a solid thread of continuity via the presence of Jeff Oster's soulful horns which, needless to say, are the highlight of this exceptional recording. I'm glad that Oster followed up his critically acclaimed EP with this full-length recording and I'm even more delighted to highly recommend it with room to spare!

- Bill Binkelman - Wind and Wire, August 2005 - www.windandwire.com


- Bill Binkelman

Jeff Oster
Released

Jeff Oster spent his youth playing in bar bands, then opted out into the lucrative world of financial advising. All the while, he spent his free time playing in an Oakland funk group. None of that will prepare you for Jeff Oster's debut album, Released. Echoes listeners have been getting a taste for this CD since last year when Oster put out a 4 song EP. All four of those tunes appear here on a disc that elaborates on the themes of that little EP teaser.

Oster plays trumpet, an instrument not usually associated with ambient music, which may explain why he usually employs the more mellow flugelhorn. Exhibiting amazing restraint, Oster eshews the usual smooth jazz rhythms and funk designs of artists like Chris Botti and instead turns his focus on moods and atmospheres.

Some tracks are wistful and pastoral like the title track, which is mostly just Oster and guitarist Will Ackerman, who also produced the album. Others chart darker terrain like the mysterious, foreboding sound of "Behind the Veil," which features fractured programmed rhythms pulsing behind vocal fragments and ethereal choirs from Happy Rhodes. She appears on the tribal electronica of "Haleakala" as well, a track co-written by Philip Aaberg, who brings his acoustic piano ruminations to bear on "Fool's Gold." He sounds a lament from the edge, along with Oster's hymn-like harmonized trumpet lines. Now in his 40s, it's taken Jeff Oster a lifetime to arrive at his debut album. And Released is worth the wait.


-John Diliberto

- John Diliberto

On July 28th,2008 I was invited to perform Saturn Calling, a track from my CD "TRUE", at JPL in Pasadena,CA., as a part of the Cassini Program "End of Prime Mission " celebration.

JPL created a video montage of photos sent back to Earth from the Cassini spacecraft now circling Saturn and its moons.

View it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unx0KmyYhBY

The "wind" you hear in the song are the radio waves generated by the auroras of Saturn, as recorded by Cassini when it was 240 million miles away from Saturn.It was an amazing honor to perform this music in front of all of the scientists and support staff that have made the Cassini program possible.

NASA and JPL created a feature on Saturn Calling, and posted it on their websites.

You can find it here:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features/feature20080423.cfm - NASA/JPL

From the It Can't Get Much Better Than This category:

The Broadcasters have spoken!

TRUE, the latest album from trumpet-flugelhorn artist Jeff Oster, produced by Grammy Award winner Will Ackerman, has won TWO 2007 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards - and
they are:

***************************************

********* Album of the Year *************

*************** and *******************

* Best Contemporary Instrumental Album *

**************************************

Here's a complete list of the winners:

http://www.newagereporter.com/admin/award_finalists.asp

The NAR Lifestyle Music Awards are sponsored by New Age Reporter
(http://www.newagereporter.com), the industry's premier source for New Age, World, Ambient, Electronic, Native American, and Celtic music.

Votes were cast by the worldwide Broadcasters (Show Hosts) that have reported to NewAgeReporter during the October 2006 thru November 2007 time period.

This is a far-reaching panel of Industry experts and lovers of the music NewAgeReporter represents, and it is an amazing honor to have been chosen by them as a winner in these two categories.

Jeff thanks each and every Broadcaster who voted for TRUE in these awards, and
who continue to share the music with their listeners.

Your support is MOST appreciated. - New Age Reporter