Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century vocal music with lute or theorbo has been enjoying a modern renaissance as evidenced by the recent releases of Monika Mauch and Nigel North's Musical Banquet (ECM, 2008) and Nigel North's Dowland recordings for Naxos. This is period music that immediately evokes images such as those captured in Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth (William Morrow, 1989) and its sequel World Without End (Penguin, 2007). This is... read more
Like the luscious glamour of her CD cover, Japanese harpist Yumiko Endo Schlaffer plays with a luxurious richness as soft as the velvet she lightly places herself on. Rhapsodie is sheer grace and elegance.
I am convinced a great deal of planning went into this CD. It?s not just one beautiful number after another with several French pieces that leaves us breathless and relaxed?Yumiko takes us far afield. One of my favorites is from her native... read more
When it comes to the saxophone, or any instrument, it is uncommon for an artist to be well versed in two very different generes. Dr. Idit Shner, Associate Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at the University of Oregon, has established herself as a multi-talented, bilingual saxophonist across her numerous classical and jazz albums. Although I have not yet listened to her full discography, I certainly will be!
The album's title comes... read more
This is an unusual and special project. Dan Dean is known for his own groups, recording and mixing, and his collaborations with Tom Collier. I first encountered his works with a couple of different groups at the Other Side of the Tracks in the mid 70s along with his work with Collier, with whom he has been musical buddies even in their teenage years. His bass work and sound is found in many recording groups and engineers, because of Dean's... read more
Take some lesser Greek mythology, mix it with some 50s flavored jazz into classical and you get a modern thing that sounds like it could be equally at home with the art minded or as a diversion for kids almost ala "Peter & the Wolf". Not exactly something you'd expect to be coming out of Chicago, this is a wild and wonderful set that exists in a time zone all it's... read more
4-STARS While this fourth album from marimbist Gwendolyn Dease is rightly seeing release on the classical arm of Origin Records, it wouldn't have been completely out of place if it had landed on the jazz side of that imprint. Dease bypasses contemporary marimba fare and late twentieth century favorites from the usual suspects like Ney Rosauro, Casey Cangelosi, Joseph Schwanter, Keiko Abe, and Jacob Druckman, focusing instead on newly... read more
For some reason, marimba doesn't come across as something I think about a lot in the jazz arena... but in Gwendolyn's talented hands, you'll be amazed at the deep and rich textures she's able to paint on tunes like the opener, "Beija-flor", (penned by jazz bassist Rufus Reid)... one of the reasons (I believe) why this is so aurally attractive is because she takes a lot of time to develop the tune (it pegs in at 9:03). "G.W.G.E.", on the other... read more
**** (4-stars)
Composer and bassist Doug Lofstrom has been composing prolifically since the 1970s. His diverse scores reflect his ongoing involvement in theater, dance, film and symphonic music. In the 1990s, he was composer-in-residence for the Metropolis Symphony Orchestra and during the 80s, musical director of Chicago?s Free Street Theatre. His works have been performed by the St. Louis, Atlanta and Oregon Symphony Orchestras, and... read more
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Ken Micallef, JazzTimes
Marlene Rosenberg - MLK Convergence
by Francois van de Linde, Jazz Journal (London)
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Charles L. Latimer, I Dig Jazz
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Editor, Dusty Grooves
Kiki Valera - Vivencias en Clave Cubana
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble - The Atwood Suites
by Michael J West, DownBeat - Live Review
Kiki Valera - Vivencias en Clave Cubana
by Raul da Gama, Latin Jazz Network
Xose Miguelez - Ontology
by Rui Eduardo Paes, Jazz (Portugal)