Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Jeff Johnson - Tall Stranger
by Peter Monaghan, Earshot Jazz
Re-corded back in 2002, Tall Stranger opens with two group improvisations in which the players - Johnson, California drummer Billy Mintz, and treasured Seattle hornman Hans Teuber - feel each other out and enter an oblique, moody realm of light and shadow.
These are three superbly exploratory players. Mintz is a drummer like no other - he measures his attack as if determined to bruise no drumhead unless absolutely necessary; he caresses the... read more
John Stowell | Michael Zilber - Live Beauty
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Scene
The gifted Portland guitarist John Stowell manages to get a record or two per year out there for his loyal listeners to enjoy. This time it is saxman Michael Zilber, who joins Stowell and the quartet before a live audience in Berkeley, California. Stowell and Zilber communicate effortlessly on six originals of varying moods and tempos. There is also one standard; the venerable "My Funny Valentine." and you have never heard it quite like... read more
Hans Teuber & Jeff Johnson - Deuce
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Bassist Jeff Johnson's first recording for Seattle's Origin Records was 1999's Free. Saxophonist Hans Teuber was there, and he was there on Johnson's subsequent Origin outings: The Art Of Falling (2001), Near Earth (2004), and Suitcase (2011). It's a relationship that has made beautiful music - mysterious and oddly sacred sounds that exude a smooth-flowing timelessness. All of these were trio or quartet affairs. Now Teuber and Johnson take the... read more
Purna Loka Ensemble - Metaraga
by MEDUSA OF TROY, KFJC-FM, CA
For those well-versed in Indian classical styles, Western improvisation and geometric progressions in music, the album "Metaraga" is a fascinating melding of math and music, eastern and western music. For those who don't recognize all of the influences within this album, it is an interesting blend of sounds and tempos, with two violins (mathematician-violinist Purnaprajna Bangere and David Balakrishnan from Turtle Island String Quartet), bass... read more
Paul Ricci - The Path
by Editor, Modern Drummer
There are a very few drummers whose inclusion will make me pick up a recording, Steve Jordan is one of them. The fact the Jordan, Anthony Jackson, and Manolo Badrena (three fourths of Steve Khan's famed Eyewitness band) play together on three tracks of this record make it instantly appealing to me. Throw in a tune featuring one-time Fela drummer Jojo Kuo, and one tune with Brazilian drummer Jurim Moreira, and you have an attractive rhythmic... read more
Upper Left Trio - Cycling
by Roman St. James, Jazz Review
"Cycling", the debut release by the Upper Left Trio is an absolutely stunning CD. The piano trio is the most basic of the jazz group configurations, but its simplicity inherently increases the difficulty in producing music that is either particularly innovative or engaging, for all but the most casual jazz listener. However, with this recording the Upper Left Trio � consisting of Charlie Doggett on drums, Clay Giberson on piano and Jeff Leonard... read more
Marlene Rosenberg - MLK Convergence
by Francois van de Linde, Jazz Journal (London)
Both title and line-up of bassist Marlene Rosenberg's MLK Convergence piqued my interest. MLK is a reference to Reverend Martin Luther King. Rosenberg connects the message of King with horrible tragedies like the strangling of Eric Garner by the police in New York City in 2014. She offers "this music as an expression and in an effort to voice the current reality that exists in America, and 'the dream' of balance, harmony, and understanding... read more
Josh Nelson - Exploring Mars
by Editor, The Jazz Page
Composer-pianist Josh Nelson takes us on a journey to the red planet in his concept-driven new recording. Exploring Mars was inspired by the four robotic rovers exploring the planet and Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles". The sounds and feeling of the music certainly reflects the interstellar journey on which the listener embarks from the very first cut. The production quality lives up to the objective. Likewise, the musicianship is... read more
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