Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Dee Daniels - Intimate Conversations
by Shaun Brady, Jazziz
Q&A
With a powerful four-octave voice that sounds as if it's been fermented in the blues, singer Dee Daniels has fronted big bands and symphony orchestras over the course of her 30-year career. But as the title implies, her new CD, Intimate Conversations, is a collection of deeply personal duo performances. Choosing songs with lyrics that are themselves conversational, Daniels engages with a roster of jazz luminaries that... read more
Florian Hoefner - Luminosity
by S. Victor Aaron, Something Else!
About a year and a half ago, German-born pianist/composer Florian Hoefner did what few up-and-coming jazz musicians would dare to do, and that was to pull out of the bustling scene of New Your City to relocate to a far-away place that shared an ocean but little else with his former home. But from the relative solitude of St. John's, Newfoundland, Hoefner found the right environment to raise his game, and for his third album Luminosity (released... read more
Scenes - Rinnova
by Kyle O'Brien, Oregon Jazz Scene
John Stowell, Jeff Johnson and John Bishop have been playing together as Scenes for nearly a decade, and the group continues to evolve and develop as a trio rather than a collection of players. It's not about showcasing one instrument or even one sound. Their work is reminiscent of the fusion of the '70s and early '80s, like that done by Mike Stern or John Abercrombie, though it is definitely of the now. Stowell's guitar approach is softer... read more
Jessica Williams - With Love
by Brent Black, Critical Jazz
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication and that is Jessica Williams!
Jessica Williams is a critically acclaimed pianist that has the reputation and the ability to go deep. Thanks to the misfortune of two rather serious health battles which she has documented and spoken of in great detail, Williams has embraced the lost art of melody with a string of sublime recordings on the consistently excellent Origin label. With Love is... read more
Bill Anschell - More To The Ear Than Meets The Eye
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Pianist Bill Anschell has carved out a fairly high profile for himself as an accompanist and arranger, most recently on vocalist Jeff Baker's vibrant Monologue (OA2 Records, 2005), and previously with his stint touring and recording as musical director for Nnenna Freelon from 1992-96. With More to the Ear Than Meets the Eye, Anschell steps out as leader on a set that showcases his penchant for forthright lyrical beauty and spontaneous... read more
Florian Hoefner - Luminosity
by Michael J. West, Jazztimes
"Typical" and "generic" aren't synonyms. Pianist Florian Hoefner works to create music that " doesn't sound like generic jazz." To be sure, Luminosity, Hoefner's third album with his quartet, is not generic, with its oblong structures and meters that require listeners to search for the 1. But its use of those elements to distinguish it does make it fairly typical mid-2010s postbop.
But never mind: The point is it's very... read more
New Stories - Hope is in the Air
by C. Michael Bailey, Grapevine Culture
The three archangels of bebop piano were close friends and inspirations to one another. They were Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell and Elmo Hope. Who is Elmo Hope? He was said to be Thelonious Monk's favorite jazz composer. Born St. Elmo Sylvester Hope in New York City, June 27, 1923, Hope emerged in the 1950s as a promising bop pianist and composer. Sadly, his life (and discography) was painfully brief because of heroin addiction.
Breaking to the... read more
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra - Sacred Music of Duke Ellington
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
If a repertory orchestra is going to do something, it might as well go big. Here, the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, in combination with the Oregon Repertory Singers and a handful of guests, take on music from Duke Ellington's three Sacred Music concerts. The performances are flawless, running the range from gospel to jazz to something mighty close to American opera, with nary a false note. And the compositions are of the highest caliber, of... read more
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