Each Measure Feature: Oscar Utterstrom

FEATURE

A sultry, soft trombone, echoing through the night. Soft, beautiful vocals building off of the music. These are two major standouts in Oscar Utterstrom's latest release, The Bigger Picture. The album, a display of Utterstrom's talent as both a trombone player and a composer, calls to mind images of rain-soaked city streets, and would be just as at home in a jazzy nightclub as it would be backing the investigation of a hard-boiled detective in your favorite noir story. The Bigger Picture puts Utterstrom's talent as both a musician and a composer on display and, paired with Molly Parden's vocals, reminds us of the beauty that can come from a horn and a voice.

It's important through all this to remember Utterstrom's background as a freelance trombone player. Working as a freelancer in an artistic field requires a lot of talent and a lot of collaboration, two things that Oscar Utterstrom has in spades. Beyond being a fantastic musician, listening to The Bigger Picture makes it clear just how well Utterstrom can play off of others, from Parden's vocals to Josh Hunt's drums to the saxophone, piano, bass, and cello provided by Doug Mosher, Matt Endahl, and Jon Estes, Utterstrom's trombone blends seamlessly with the rest, and ties the entire experience together. This makes even more sense when you learn that Utterstrom is the one who composed most of the album, save for two exceptions; LA-based lyricist Wayne Moore, who collaborated to bring lyrics to the original compositions, and the album's one cover, the Aerosmith song "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," written by Diane Warren.

Ultimately, Oscar Utterstrom's newest release, The Bigger Picture, is an hour well spent, and a great album worth checking out the next time you're looking for a great jazz album written and performed by a number of talented musicians.

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