The sound of the sophomore album, Doyle's Brunch, is as tricky to pigeonhole and just as audibly accomplished at its creators. These thirteen instrumental cuts effortlessly incorporate elements of jazz, blues, rock, and contemporary electronica, yielding results comparable to peers such as Saint Germain, Deep Forest, and Enigma, as well as Hollywood composer/arrangers like Craig Armstrong (Romeo + Juliet, Massive Attack) and David Arnold (the James Bond franchise, Björk).

Both Jane (who also produced Doyle's Brunch) and Al have a knack for playing intuitively. "Jane sits down at the piano, and plays like a 90-year old black man", opines her husband. For his part, Al credits his 2000 to 2002 service with metal hellions Megadeth for honing his gift for working quickly, and from the gut. "Dave Mustaine has a similar work ethic to my wife," he says. "They're both perfectionists, and they both want it done immediately." You can hear that freshness in the music; despite all its careful craftsmanship, the compositions of O'2L never sound too-slick or overproduced. Like its title suggests, Doyle's Brunch is warm, rich, nourishing and bound to keep fans coming back to enjoy additional helpings of its fine fare.

On "Come And Get It", Jane's light, lively runs and rhythmic dexterity intermingle with jazzy brass and Al's deft, sensitive fills. The fast paced, jubilant "Mountain City Playhouse" suggests the original Star Wars cantina band, dropped into the middle of a Wild West saloon. "City Chicken" burbles along like New Orleans funk, punctuated by mellow interludes that recall the deceptively sophisticated arrangements of Steely Dan, while "Missing Kate" anchors its stately atmospherics established via classical string textures (courtesy of violinist Mark Wood) with subdued hip-hop beats.

Jane offers this dissection of the title track as a window into her creative process: "Doyles is a great Irish pub/restaurant in Jamaica Plain, Ma. where I used to work", she explains. "When I was there, it was a neighborhood joint and all kinds of colorful characters made their way in there including a german shephard. There was a piano player named Harry that would show up on Sundays to play for brunch and he'd eat bowls of sausages and drink so much scotch that he would forget what he was playing and always break into the same Bugs Bunny type tune. Drove you nuts while you were trying to wait tables. The place is one of the most popular places in Boston now, a favorite hangout for politicians. Still my favorite."

As she typically does, she began the composition with a rhythmic idea that captures the frenetic energy of the venue on a busy Sunday morning, then wrote a bass line to complement that. From there, she took vocal samples (courtesy of drummer John O'Reilly) and wrote the track around those. The result is a cut that, despite the absence of lyrics, manages to convey a sense of time, place and activity.

For his part, Al aspires to lay down guitar parts that enhance that spirit of telling stories without words. Yet, ironically, he credits his experiences accompanying vocalists with improving his ability to communicate ideas and emotions via the guitar. "Singers have the luxury of lyrics; instrumentalists don't. But you close your eyes, and try to tell a similar story. It's not about the notes, but the feeling and dynamics behind them. If you listen to Jeff Beck back in the day, playing 'Cause We've Ended As Lovers' or ‘Porkpie Hat,' you can understand everything he's saying, without opening his mouth."

Although the O'2L project was originally Jane's brainchild, it was Al who pushed to record their seductive reinterpretation of the Doors ' 1971 hit, "Riders on the Storm", for Doyle''s Brunch . I first had the idea back in 1991 or ‘92, because guitarist Jeff Golub had such success with Avenue Blue after his work with Billy Squier and Rod Stewart, he recalls. "I thought that seemed pretty neat, and that maybe one day I would graduate to a non-rock, smooth jazz-type project." "So when O'2L became a reality, and we were working on this record, I mentioned my idea of doing ‘Riders' to Jane," he continues. "And she just gave me one of those looks. But I said, ‘Humor me for a minute.' So she came up with this wild drum loop, something I never would have thought of, and all of the sudden she took the song to a whole different level. But that's her brilliance, taking loops and sound effects and sonic ideas, and just running with them."

Reviews

All About Jazz.com

Jazz Review.com

Eomentertainment.com

Jazz Times.com

Listener Comments

Cool Tool Tunes!!!,

September 21, 2007
By Jerry Anderson (Yankton, SD)

A very refreshing dip into electronica or smooth jazz! Its your call! Try the sample bars. Riders On The Strom Is An Excellent Rendition Of One Of The Doors Greatest Tunes. Wouldn't mind seeing this bunch live, it would be a good show, no doubt! This CD is well engineered, with good clarity and detail! Purchased from Amazon, Very Fast Shipment...Great Stuff!

O'2L's,

February 11, 2007
By Ronald E. Ortega (Graham, WA. USA)

Saw Janie at TSO Christmas Tour, really impressed with her keyboard accomplishments, Googled her name and found this album, bought it and still impressed, very lively, busy, perk me up arrangements.

Excellent CD!!,

January 30, 2007
By Brad H. (Oklahoma City)

This is a great, relaxing CD. Jane and Al are superb with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and they are superb on their own! They are very talented musicians!! I recommend this CD.

Groovy Mon,

December 5, 2006
By Grateful One "Big Music Fan"

(Fairfield, CT United States)

Forgot how I stumbled across this cd but I will say I am very pleased I did. If you are in the hunt for mindless relaxing, unexplainable electronica music with a beautiful piano flair, and a splash of jazz then this is it! Take Joe Sample , Larry Coryell, Soho, The Grid and Morcheeba, throw them into a food processor (minus any vocals) and presto you have O'2L. Fire one up, pop a cork, fill a glass then sit back with friends and enjoy cause this is perfect late night chilling tunes. Although it would fill any party room nicely, it sets a mellow pace and hence is excellent for back round sound. I guarantee at some point while playing this, someone is bound to ask you who it is. My one beef is that I wish some of these licks would go for 10 minutes or longer.

Wow,

April 13, 2005
By Aja-Q "lovin good music"

We actually just saw a live performance of O'2L on April 10, and I was so blown away with this group, I ran to the concession area and purchased Doyle's Brunch. I guess I'm a "new-bie" to this style or genre, whatever it is, I cant stop playing it. I am so glad I found this group. Buy it you wont regret it!

Smoothjazz.com Review,

March 1, 2005
By Sandy Shore (Monterey, CA)

O'2L (O-Tool) is the dynamic duo collaborating team of two of New York's finest... Keyboardist and sound designer Jane Mangini and guitarist Al Pitrelli. The duo's sophomore release, DOYLE'S BRUNCH on Peak Records, is filled with scintillating samples and groovy grooves along with generous portions of soul, jazz and funk, plus a cool version of the Door's 1971 hit, "Riders On The Storm". Jane, a former Floridian, studied at Berklee and in addition to her work with Atlantic records' Trans-Siberian Orchestra and O'2L, she's a composer for Bang Music in NYC. Her partner calls her the `Mozart of Madison Avenue'. Al is actually a classically trained guitarist but has made his mark with heavy metal icons Megadeth and Savatage. He's also worked with Alice Cooper, Asia and Dee Snider. On the O'2L website, Al jokes, "You couldn't ask for two collaborators to come from more opposite worlds." Named after an eatery in Boston, DOYLE'S BRUNCH will satisfy your cravings for chilled music and cater to your organic sensibilities with inspiring guitar and piano work. There's something for everybody on this project... 13 tracks in all. Shaken, downtempo songs like "Senior Wilhelm," "Cali," and "Learn To Walk" drop like cool, chilled jazz. While the fun and crazy/jazzy, "Come And Get It," the wickedly out "Mountain City Playhouse" (the only chill tune I've heard with a violin and a rippin' bluesy piano) and the funky "City Chicken," assist in bringing high tech and funk to terms. DOYLE'S BRUNCH is served - Bon appetite! ~Sandy Shore