I'll be completely candid here: this isn't my favorite jazz album of the year, or even the month. But I'm recommending it because I don't see it as my job simply to share what I like — it's my job to hip you to good music, and this album is objectively excellent, in terms of both the playing and (even more so) its structure and conception. Bassist Piet Verbist leads a trio that includes guitarist Hendrik Braeckman and drummer Lionel Beuvens,... read more
The Sky Cries is lively mainstream modern Jazz out of the Pacific Northwest led by trumpeter Chad McCullough and pianist Michal Vanoucek. The two men split the writing chores here but all of their pieces are intricate and involving. McCullough's "Urban Grassland" and "Soliloquy" pits the lyrical shapes of his trumpet playing against the sharp, sour sound of Mark Taylor's alto while his "Time-lapse" juxtaposes flowing horn solos with... read more
Chicago saxophonist Geof Bradfield draws on music he encountered in his travels to Africa during a 2008 Rhythm Road tour with pianist Ryan Cohan's quartet. Cohan joins Bradfield here, along with trumpeter Victor Garcia, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist George Fludas, and together the band delivers entrancing polyrhythmic themes like the melodic Rwandan praise song "Butare" and the danceable Congolese rumba "Lubumbashi," the latter a catchy clave... read more
The spirit of Thelonious Monk abounds on bassist Clark Sommers' Ba(SH). Monk's music is magnetically drawn to odd formats like this saxophone trio, sporting Geof Bradfield on reeds and Dana Hall on drums. There is no tether in this music; all participant are free in the most free sense. The recital hold together well, with Bradfield's intricate nod to Monk's "Rhythm-n-Ing" providing an example of the long arm of Monk. There are elements of... read more
Andrea Brachfeld plays flute and the darker alto flute set to a collection of Brazilian themes dominated by Antonio Jobim. She mixes and matches with Bill O'Connell/p-key, Harvie S-Lincoln Goines/g, Roni Ben-Hur/g, T. Porinho-Jason Tiemann/dr and Chembo Corniel/perc with some boppy pieces like her own "Espaco Aberto" and a relaxed "Triste E Solitaria." Jobim's "Double Rainbow" is a soulful keyboard affair with Brachfeld's flute floating to the... read more
TERRY GROSS, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. Jazz pianist Dan Cray comes from the Chicago suburbs and lives in New York. But much of the music on his new album stems from a year he spent teaching at the University of Nevada in Reno. Our jazz critic, Kevin Whitehead, explains.
(SOUNDBITE OF DAN CRAY SONG, "OUTSIDE IN")
KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Dan Cray's tune "Outside In," the title track from his new quartet album. When the pianist spent a... read more
Taking a risk is difficult no matter what field of art you choose. In Brad Goodeʼs new release, Polytonal Dance Party, there are abundant risks taken from the first track to the last. Exploring the more avant-garde side of his repertoire, Goodeʼs work on this album is a far cry from his previous albums, such as, Toy Trumpet and his collaborations with Von Freeman. The inside out qualities of the other recordings are set aside and not... read more
Piano legend Hal Galper shows his post bop chops in high quality form at this gig in Edmonton, Canada with his team of Jeff Johnson/b and John Bishop/dr. The Getz/Baker alumnus shows pristine and lovely work on the lyrical "Artist" while digging deep with the mates on the modal "Scufflin'". The three form a hip groove on "Israel" with Johnson giving thoughtful intros to the scrambling "Cubist" and slapping the sucker on the bluesy "Scene West"... 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.
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Thierry de Clemensat, Paris-Move
Anthony Branker & Other Ways of Knowing - Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Chenxi Pan - This Very Moment
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Harvie S - Bright Dawn
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Anthony Branker & Other Ways of Knowing - Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Harvie S - Bright Dawn
by Karen Beishuizen, Bass Musician Magazine
Eddie Allen and PUSH - The Rhythm
by Mark Griffith, Modern Drummer
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Shifty Paradigms
by Mark Griffith, Modern Drummer
Bobby Rozario - Healer
by Editor, Modern Drummer
Mattias Svensson - Embrace
by Editor, Modern Drummer