RMR presents an interview with MAJA JAKU
RMR: Tell us about growing up in Kosovo. Did you leave Kosovo because of the war, and how did growing up in a war zone affect you on a personal and professional basis and when did you arrive in Austria? And tell us about your diverse musical influences while you were growing up.
MAJA JAKU: I grew up in Kosovo, in a deeply musical family. My uncle was a bass guitarist, and... read more
John Stowell is a veteran guitarist who, despite their different sounds and repertoire, can be thought of as a latter-day Jim Hall. Like him, Stowell is consistently relaxed both in his improvising style and in his sound. His choice of notes is advanced yet, due to his tone, his solos often sound soothing. He never plays the obvious and close listening to his playing always reveals plenty of subtle surprises.
Scenes: Destinations is a trio... read more
In the course of a year, drummer and composer Gary Hobbs cycles through multiple musical personalities. Big band drummer, clinician for high schools and colleges, sideman with a variety of groups and a leader of his own, Hobbs goes from straight-ahead and swing to funk and fusion.
That taste for variety is evident on his latest CD, "Of My Times."
Within the variety, though, we hear a composer and arranger in love with the rhythmic... read more
Seattle trumpeter-composer Thomas Marriott is joined by tenor saxophonist Hans Teuber, pianist Gary Versace, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop on this excellent release, his fifth for Origin. From the urgent free-leaning opener, "Diagram," which seems to use Miles Davis' "E.S.P." as a jumping off point, to the swinging title track, the moody meditative "Clues" and the atmospheric rubato closer, "Treadstone 71." Marriott and company... read more
4-STARS The Rhythm is Eddie Allen's second release by Push, as the veteran trumpeter calls the septet he first documented in 2014 with slightly different personnel. Allen's nicely juxtaposed, well wrought compositions and arrangements proceed to a broad array of grooves representing the various genres to which he's contributed the full-bodied tone, fluid phrasing and consummate technique that have earned the Milwaukee native first-caller... read more
4-STARS Benjamin Boone's set with this band born and grown in Ghana is a genuine cross-cultural jazz Joy.
The seeds of Joy were planted when composer-saxophonist Boone spent a year as a US Fulbright Scholar in Ghana in sabbatical from his professorship at California State University (Fresno), to study the country's music and musical traditions. The music Boone found made him feel at home: "These guys know American jazz inside and... read more
Tom Collier's new album, Across the Bridge, is an exhilarating collection of modern jazz-rock originals "on the other side of the West Seattle Bridge." Collier, who has taught percussion studies at the University of Washington since 1980 and is primarily a vibraphonist, recruited two of today's best genre-bending guitarists, Larry Coryell and Bill Frisell, to help make this music. The personnel switches up from track to... read more
If you're a lover of classic jazz in its most timeless form, this album will feel like home. Don't expect reinvention—expect excellence. What you'll find is a luminous voice, perfectly poised, supported by world-class musicians who elevate each familiar melody into something quietly sublime. It's an album made for the sheer pleasure of listening, where every note lands with grace and assurance, and the mood is unhurried, elegant, and... read more
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect