4-STARS Arthur Kell seems to have played with everyone without (yet) making a wider splash. He's probably too generous an artist for stardom, and in this terrific group, he leaves much of the spotlight to the two guitarists and drummer. But when you listen to the nicely dotted rhythms of "The Djado," or the resonant intro and sustained lead line to "Lullaby/Omni," it becomes obvious that he's always the foundation stone of the... read more
In addition to being an in-demand trombonist and professor at the City College of New York, Scott Reeves is an abundantly skilled composer and arranger, with a reputation for merging edgy, non-traditional harmonies with timeless grooves and forms. Without a Trace, his sophomore album for Seattle-based Origin Records, provides a glimpse into Reeve's compositional style. Featuring some of New York's top-flight jazz artists — including... read more
When, to borrow a skill once credited to Dee Daniels by Leonard Feather, you "soul-fry" a batch of pop hits, are you jazzin' it or putting jazz in it? Such is the intentional double entendre that ignites this magical assortment of hits old and (relatively) new from the Vancouver-based songstress who Houston Person rightly calls "the jazz world's hidden treasure." And, given Daniels' well-established jazz cred and her obvious ability to hammer... read more
"Blessed & Bewitched": Maja Jaku finds her voice between tradition and self-discovery.
In many ways, Blessed & Bewitched feels like the kind of album that might have arrived in the late 1980s or early '90s, a period when jazz singers often sought a delicate balance between reverence for tradition and a hunger for personal reinvention. To be clear, this is not a revolutionary record, nor does it pretend to be. Instead, it is a... read more
Joachim Mencel is an experienced pianist and composer, a respected arranger and producer of vocal music. But he is also the author of many interesting music projects, the most important of which is certainly the jazz cantata "Love explained everything to me" (for jazz combo, string orchestra, boys' choir and soloists), cooperation with the English violinist Nigel Kennedy, concerts with the American clarinetist Brad Terry. The original projects... read more
Relatively few women embrace the acoustic bass; Marlene Rosenberg ? a ?territory? artist born, raised and schooled in Illinois ? has done just that.
Although she has played professionally throughout the world, she performs and teaches primarily around Chicago. She began studying clarinet at the age of 10, switched to electric bass in high school, and finally settled on the acoustic instrument while attending the University of Illinois. She... read more
Like the Japanese calligraphy art know as enso, the condensed and succinct introduction alto saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio delivers on the track "Price Of Being (Intro)" is a disciplined stroke, delivered with an ease and elegance that belies the character and control required for such a statement. He works his instrument through this exercise with such command and strength, the sound gives the impression it is effortless.
But then, such is... read more
Jazz as a vector for a reflection of injustice and impotence in our current society, it still exists. Saxophonist, composer and arranger Benjamin Boone proves it in the company of a series of poets and guest musicians including Kenny Werner, Ari Hoenig, Donald Brown and Ben Monder. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of current topics.
Benjamin Boone is not new to works in which jazz and poetry complement each other. For 'The Poetry Of Jazz'... 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.
Carl Schultz - The Road to Trantor
by Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
John Gunther - Painting the Dream
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Karrin Allyson - A Kiss for Brazil
by Editor, The Jazz Page
Michael Dease - Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Editor, The Jazz Page
Jordan VanHemert - Survival of the Fittest
by Editor, The Jazz Page
Shawn Purcell - Oblivity
by Editor, The Jazz Page
Carl Schultz - The Road to Trantor
by D. Glenn Daniels, The Jazz Page
Paul Marinaro - Mood Ellington
by Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs
Paul Marinaro - Mood Ellington
by Jim Hynes, Making A Scene
Paul Marinaro - Mood Ellington
by D. Glenn Daniels, The Jazz Page