Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Nick Finzer - The Chase
by Dan Ouellette, Downbeat Profile
Trombonist Nick Finzer, 27, keenly recognizes the ebbs and flows of the jazz idiom. He appreciates its fluidity as pop music melds into the straightahead language of the jazz legacy. But he's taken a different road for revitalizing the heritage of jazz for the modern age.
"I don't want to abandon the tradition," said the tall and slender Finzer, who plays his instrument with a combination of fat-sound power and rich lyricism. "I want to... read more
Rodney Whitaker - Oasis: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Steven Miller, Sound in Review
Bassist Rodney Whitaker has assembled a refined quintet to present the music of composer Gregg Hill. The ensemble is Terell Stafford on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tim Warfield on tenor and soprano saxophones, Bruce Barth on piano, and Dana Hall on drums. Vocalist Rockelle Fortin also appears in four songs. Hill is a composer that has published over 145 original jazz compositions across various albums. Oasis: The Music of Gregg Hill presents ten... read more
Bill Anschell - Rumbler
by Ralph Miriello, Notes On Jazz
The pianist Bill Anschell was surprisingly self-taught, he subsequently studied at Oberlin College and Wesleyan under some influential teachers. After receiving his master's degree he came to Atlanta in 1989 as the jazz coordinator for the Southern Arts Federation. He eventually formed an internationally syndicated radio show "Jazz South" and became steeped in the Atlanta jazz scene, with his trio performing at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and... read more
Jordan VanHemert - Survival of the Fittest
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Tenor saxist Jordan VanHemert mixes and matches his rhythm team of Helen Sung/p, Rodney Whitaker/b and Lewis Nash/dr with a brass secion of Terell Stafford/tp-fh and Michael Dease/tb in various musical portraits. VanHemert's tone is a complete joy, rich and full of texture while relaxed and bel canto. Unsurprisingly the most endearing tunes are the collection of duets, as he goes mano a mano with Nash on the feisty "Softly As In A Morning... read more
Ben Thomas Tango Project - Eternal Aporia
by Angela Ballhorn, Jazz'n'More (Switzerland)
Sometimes life takes strange paths with you, Ben Thomas would not have thought 15 years ago that his passion for tango dancing and the resulting interest in music would lead him to this tango project. Thomas lays down melodies and rhythms in his compositions on both the vibraphone and the bandoneon, his melodic companions on the violin and clarinet play along enchantingly, while the bass sets clear rhythmic accents. All the elements of tango are... read more
Sam Yahel - Truth And Beauty
by Jeff Simon, The Buffalo News
What you've got here are some smart things Generations X jazz musicians have been doing in record studios lately - some of the cream of Generation X in the Sam Yahel Trio's "Truth and Beauty".
The liner notes on "Truth and Beauty" (thank you, John Keats) are by generational valedictorian and pianist Brad Mehldau, who tells us he and Yahel were New York Jazz arrivals together from 1988 to 1990. He admits that while "flexibility is a hallmark... read more
Sam Yahel - From Sun to Sun
by John Ephland, Downbeat Magzine
***1/2 stars
This trio side has a lot going for it. There's a fetching lyrical quality to much of what keyboardist Sam Yahel offers on From Sun to Sun, and an experimental side as well. It has to be tough to parlay standards and originals in the classic, tried-and-true piano -trio format and still sound like yourself. Yahel plays ear-catching Hammond B3 organ touches and treatments, and in a number of different time signatures and still... read more
Cathy Segal-Garcia & Phillip Strange - Live in Japan
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Smart and accomplished, West Coast vocalist Cathy Segal-Garcia releases her 15th recording, Live In Japan, on the heels of her well-received Social Anthems, Volume 1 (Origin Records, 2021). Live In Japan is a retrospective December 1992 performance that pairs the singer with her frequent collaborator, pianist Phillip Strange. Recorded in Osaka during the holidays, Segal-Garcia sprinkles her two generous sets with enough seasonal music to qualify... read more
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