Stephen O'Connor's music, recorded with his group Stream, is gentle and often low-key, but don't let that make you think there's any lack of energy. Just listen to "In That Mood" from O'Connor's latest recording, Reaching for the Sun, and you'll hear that the group has energy a-plenty--it's simply that they don't need to blow you out of your seat in order to get that energy across.

O'Connor is a native of San Diego, where he was born and raised. He was awarded the Down Beat Magazine Scholarship for Jazz in 1972, and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. Returning to the West coast, Stephen became a successful studio musician, working in San Diego and Los Angeles with such artists as Red Mitchell, Bob Plank, and Bob Magnusson. He then worked with Joe Farrell's Big Band, playing alongside Frank Rosolino and Russell Farrentes of the Yellowjackets. Since then he's composed music for Sea World, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Disney, the Muppets, the Republic of China, and the 1994 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He composed the score to "Man to Match his Mountains" filmed by Peter Pilafian from the "Eiger Sanction" debuted on PBS, and for the Discovery Channel a special on the Navy Seals entitled "Silent Option" as well as countless Jeep and other commercials. In addition he has also worked as a producer, arranging, engineering, and mastering recordings for other artists.

O'Connor is that rare jazz guitarist who has truly found his own voice after mastering the instrument's technique and studying the lessons passed along by the jazz guitar masters who have come before. His playing is neither a showy demonstration of technique nor a basic run through of a predetermined series of runs and riffs. O'Connor has learned the fret board backwards and forwards in order to be able to present true improvisations, executing what he truly hears.

The two recordings offered here present a very different feel and vibe despite being recorded only a year apart. The first, Trios/Duos, presents O'Connor in both a trio setting and accompanied only by the outstanding bass work of Jeff Rew, who was O'Connor's first teacher. The recording is a masterful exploration of post-bop jazz guitar, featuring classic tunes like Wes Montgomery's "The Thumb," the Miles Davis tunes "Nardis" and "Blue In Green," Joe Farrell's "Molten Glass," and the standards "Alone Together," "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," and "Autumn Leaves." In addition there are five original O'Connor compositions, running the gamut from Miles-inspired bop/fusion ("Silent Moment") to stunningly beautiful ballad ("As Time Drifts Away"). O'Connor's newest recording, Reaching For the Sun" features all original compositions, and has a relaxed, sultry vibe that is calming while never becoming dull or rote. It's a CD that will appeal both to hard core mainstream jazz fans and those looking for some stimulating yet calming sounds.

O'Connor is accompanied on his musical adventures by a supportive and talented group of musicians. Bassist Rew is back for Reaching for the Sun, as is drummer Ron Ogden, who provides a compact, streamlined energy to the proceedings without ever resorting to bombast. This time out O'Connor has added a horn in the person of saxophonist John Rekevics, who gels very nicely with O'Connor and his rhythm section. Rekevics has played with a variety of performers, including the Fifth Dimension and the Temptations, and he's much in demand as a studio artist, working on a variety of soundtrack and commercial projects, as well as teaching in the Jazz Studies Program at San Diego State University. Here he is an excellent compliment to O'Connor whether playing tenor on the modal "Black Mango" or offering up a sumptuous soprano sax on "blues in d'Skies."

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