Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Inbar Fridman - Time Quartet Project
by , Jazziz
Sometimes isolation can be a boon to artists. Such was the case for Israeli-born guitarist Inbar Fridman and her French-based colleagues, who holed up at Studio de la Marmotte, surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of the foothills of the Pyrenees. The results of their collaboration can be heard on Fridman's 2013 recording Time Quartet Project, which captures both the panoramic sweep of--and the hushed reverence of being in--such a magical... read more
Scott Reeves Quintet - The Alchemist
by Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs
This lost recording was originally performed 'live' at the City College of New York in 2005, sixteen years ago. During the 2020 pandemic, when Scott Reeves had time on his hands, like thousands of other musicians, out of curiosity, Scott Reeves gave this long shelved project a listen.
"I was excited to hear how the quintet played so well together and I felt this may have been among my own personal bests. During the time of this... read more
Jessica Williams - Songs For A New Century
by Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes, July/August 2008
Songs For A New Century is an intensely personal real-time document. Jessica Williams composed all but one of the nine pieces, and recorded the album herself. She says in the liner notes that this solo album "is what I'm hearing and seeing now. ... This has been my life of late." It is about emerging from the grieving of the post-9/11 years and giving herself permission to hope again. (In musical terms, it is a broad transition from D... read more
John Stowell | Michael Zilber - Shot Through With Beauty
by DS, Western Australian Guitar Player Society
A welcome quartet recording. Jon is so effective as the harmony player and has an approach very different to most other guitarists. Saxophonist Zilber comments on John's virtues..."depth, beauty, complexity, lyricism and masterful originality." Great quartet, the bass and drums a real stand out. "Kayak" is a great Kenny Wheeler tune with medium tempo swinging solo by all. Track 2 is a waltz treatment of Dizzy's "Con Alma." "Wabash" is one... read more
Jeff Johnson - My Heart
by Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
Lost Recordings.... A "live" recording dating back to December 4, 1991 when tenor saxophonist John Gross, pianist Art Resnick, drummer Billy Mintz and bassist Jeff Johnson got to work together at Falcon Studios in Portland, Oregon.
On the program all compositions by Johnson ranging from razor-sharp bop with solos by the four musicians ('Linden Station') to ballads with jagged corners ('Leviathan'), mid-tempo swing... read more
Piet Verbist - Suite Réunion
by Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
Piet Verbist is far more off the radar than he should be. The bassist has a real talent for creating modern works that balance expertly between new- and old-school forms of expression. The axis of this meeting point is where deeply melodic forays and from-the-heart blues occupy the same space, unconflicted. His latest is yet another example, and well worth scooping up. Note that Bram Weijters is the pianist in Verbist's quintet; Weijters is... read more
Anthony Branker & Imagine - What Place Can Be for Us?
by Jan Hocek, His Voice (Czech Republic)
In February, composer and conductor Anthony Branker released his eighth title on the renowned label Origin Records. The content of the new album is the ten-movement suite What Place Can Be For Us? about "seeking and finding a place that can be a refuge, a place of inclusion and belonging for people of color and people persecuted by oppression, war and hunger," as the author himself put it. And he is disappointed that he is not the United States,... read more
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Scene
For his second session on Seattle?s respected Origin label, Thompson has put together a solid quintet and chosen some intriguing jazz compositions, often overlooked by others. The opener is Kenny Dorham?s ?Lotus Blossom,? a hard bop vehicle. Or how about Ornette Coleman?s ?Invisible,? a tricky melody line that nobody has given any attention to for years. Then there?s ?This Is for Albert?, a rather lyrical and tuneful Wayne Shorter creation.... read more
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