Jamie Saft’s Oh, Angelo Review
Calling all jazz fans! Renowned multi-instrumentalist Jamie Saft released his first-ever extended play (EP), Oh, Angelo, on January 10!
Saft, for those who haven’t heard of him, is an extremely prolific performer and songwriter with dozens of albums to his name. Although most known for a sound that touches on jazz and modern classical, he has also made contributions to genres as diverse as dub and metal.
He has collaborated with musicians ranging from Merzbow (Merzdub) to Iggy Pop (Loneliness Road). The new two-track EP contains two covers of songs from the Twin Peaks franchise. Both of the original tracks Saft reworks (“Laura Palmer’s Theme” and “Sycamore Trees”) are moody soundtrack pieces, and “Sycamore Trees” crosses over into overtly jazz territory with its saxophone portion.
Jamie Saft’s reinterpretations are among his most accessible work, although so much of Saft’s output pushes jazz to its most avant-garde, free-jazz-esque potential. These tracks represent the polar opposite of that sound and lean into his classical influences more than his other compositions.
While not the most representative release in his discography, Oh, Angelo, is perhaps the most immediately accessible record from Saft thus far. This may very well be due to the broader appeal of the original compositions. Although these are themselves transformative covers, Jamie Saft brings a whole new set of influences to these tracks in his covers.
It’s a fine input into Saft’s catalogue; just be aware that this is a bit different than his usual output, even if that output is itself really all over the place stylistically.
