Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Brent Jensen - Trios
by Jeff Krow, Audiophile Audition
Sweet & Sour - A Challenging Combination
Brent Jensen's 2002 Origin release, "The Sound of a Dry Martini" was my introduction to Jensen. It was a tribute to the late Paul Desmond. It was highly enjoyable, often uncannily getting Desmond's dry, light, feathery tone down to a "T". Being unfamiliar with Jensen, I could not tell whether he was intentionally intending to mimic Desmond - a true feat as Desmond's tone is fairly unique; much like no... read more
Dudley Owens | Aaron Immanuel Wright - People Calling
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Saxophonist Dudley Owens and bassist Aaron Wright bring together (in classic quintet format) a band intent on expanding the language of Miles Davis's second great quintet from within. On People Calling the band does exactly this: they create a late '60s sonic image stamped in 21st Century digital. The writing is firmly post bop, with Atlantic period Ornette Coleman fighting its way out. These influences are governed by a firm compositional... read more
Jessica Williams - Billy's Theme: A Tribute to Dr. Billy Taylor
by Ric Bang, The Davis Enterprise, September 14, 2006
Jessica Williams was 4 when she discovered her grandmother's piano.
By age 7, little Jessica was taking formal lessons; she soon was accepted at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory. While still in her teens, she was playing regularly with a jazz combo; by 20 she had moved to California and literally had her pick of the dozens of groups performing there.
She's a great pianist, and she also writes and arranges prolifically. Her discography... read more
Hal Galper Trio - Airegin Revisited
by Bob Bernotas, Just Jazz Newsletter
?Rubato? is the concept. ?Playing without intention? is how they achieve it. Pianist Hal Galper and his colleagues, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop, collectively and intuitively stretch time, expand harmony, and invent melody on what Galper aptly describes as a journey with no road map and no destination. Don?t ask any questions, don?t expect any answers. Just get on and enjoy the... read more
Laurie Antonioli and Richie Beirach - Varuna
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Sometimes you just have to wait until things are right. Antonioli has been working with Beirach for over 25 years, mostly on his stomping grounds in Germany when she was based over there. This set was begun 10 years ago and was only finished up recently, and it's just the two of them for most of the set. Even when tackling the chestnuts, Antonioli finds her art chick side, making this a totally different set than her Joni Mitchell tribute set... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - No Bounds
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Chris Walden has been on a heck of a roll lately, with two Grammy nods for last year's Home of My Heart, one of the finest big band efforts of the year. He also in did the orchestrations for the acclaimed Michael Bolton set Bolton Swings Sinatra.
Home of My Heart deserved all the accolades that came its way; No Bounds is an even stronger disc. Walden is a genius at freshening up the big band genre with sparkling arrangements, whether in the... read more
Bobby Broom - The Way I Play: Live In Chicago
by Mark F. Turner, All About Jazz.com
Guitarist Bobby Broom could have easily taken a different musical direction when he released the popular contemporary/funk jazz album, Clean Sweep (GRP) in 1981. But with his early influences, guitarists Wes Montgomery, early George Benson and mentor/saxophonist Sonny Rollins, he has developed his own unique style on recordings such as Song and Dance (Origin, 2007). This voice is heard in a live setting on The Way I Play , an uncut, as it went... read more
speak - Speak
by Stef Gijssels, Freejazz Blog
Trumpeter Cuong Vu is a very demanded and active musician. He plays with Pat Metheny, he has his own quartet, and plays on the album of many other musicians (Myra Melford, Chris Speed). His last album, "Vu-Tet", already dates back from December 2007, but here we find him back on new albums by two young bands, adding more than just his trumpet-playing to shape their overall sound.
Speak is a young band from Seattle, Washington, with members... read more
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