Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra - Without a Trace
by Delarue, New York Music Daily
The rain-slicked streetcorner tableau on the album cover of the Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra's latest release Without a Trace - streaming at Bandcamp - Is truth in advertising. In recent years the group have taken a turn into moody, brassy latin-inspired sounds, something they excel at. They're at Dizzy's Club on Sept 3, with sets at 7:30 and 9:30. Cover is steep - $35 - but like most A-list large jazz ensembles not named the Maria... read more
Bill Anschell - Shifting Standards
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Veteran pianist Bill Anschell joins together with Jeff Johnson/b and D'Vonne Lewis/dr for some original readings of jazz standards. A slower than expected "A Night In Tunsia" has Anschell probing deeply while he plays hide and seek with Johnson on "Cheek to Cheek." Lewis' cymbal dances on a bluesy and chiming "Jitterbug Waltz" while the team paints a impressionistic spaciousness on "Soul Eyes." Anschell has a gorgeous touch throughout, working... read more
Deep Blue Organ Trio - Wonderful!
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
When it came time for the SFJAZZ Collective to choose a composer to honor in their eighth season, they surprised a lot of people when they went with the one and only Stevie Wonder. While some likely view this decision as a statement that, after covering Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and Horace Silver, the revered jazz composer well had run dry, those with a keen ear and a strong pulse... read more
Greta Matassa - Portrait
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Away from recording for almost a decade, this regional winner with a worldwide reach (when she wants it) shows how classic jazz vocal is done right. With a great eclectic sense of material, Matassa knows how to dive into every note and find even more than was put there originally. A real pro that's glad to do all the heavy lifting so you can sit back and listen, you might as well let her carry out this agenda to the max. Hot... read more
Bobby Broom - My Shining Hour
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Few guitarists these days possess an identifiable tone; Bobby Broom's one of the guys who does. He's been a perfect foil for tenor guys like Stanley Turrentine and Sonny Rollins, as his #2 pencil thin tone mixed with a duster of a strum is like a signature from a fountain pen.
Most of the standards here are taken at a joyful and midtempo lilt, making "My Ideal" more wistful than longing and "My Shining Hour" brimming with hope.... read more
Randy Halberstadt - Open Heart
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
41 years a teacher and he can still hit the ivories in late night/after hours fashion. A jazzbo to the core, he took his time getting this set together, from the writing to finding the right players, and if this is OCD, it has useful applications. Or it could just be strict attention to detail, so much so that it can make structure swing sounding spontaneous. Whatever, it's a smoking date that delivers the goods mightily. A tasty workout... read more
Thomas Marriott - Human Spirit
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
I hope the people of Seattle are hip to the brilliance of Marriott. He plays with complete ease at the most brisk of tempos and displays the gift of a beautiful, pure tone. Along with Mark Taylor, alto saxophone, Gary Versace, B-3 organ, and Matt Jorgensen, drums, Marriott gets this CD off to a flying start on an up-tempo "You Don't Know What Love Is." Other highlights include an Ellington tune, completely new to me, "Low Key Lightly." Years... read more
Scott Reeves Quintet - The Alchemist
by Delarue, Lucid Culture, NYC
Scott Reeves got his start as a trombonist, has played a lot of big band gigs over the years and became a fearsomely good composer of jazz for large ensembles. He's put out two big band albums and both are excellent. He also has a thing for unorthodox instruments: these days, his two main axes are the alto flugelhorn and the even rarer alto valve trombone. Like so many artists during the lockdown, he found himself going through his archives and... read more
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