Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Anthony Branker & Imagine - Songs My Mom Liked
by Dorothea Gängel, Jazz 'N' More (Switzerland)
The American composer Anthony Branker dedicated his latest work to his 88-year-old mother, who suffers from dementia. On car journeys together, he repeatedly played her the music he had once composed. He noticed that it put her in a happy mood and that she began to move to the sounds. So he decided to reinterpret some pieces with his ensemble "Imagine". "Songs My Mom Liked" contains twelve tracks. Eleven of them were written by Branker, only the... read more
Tom Collier - Mallet Jazz
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
Longtime jazz session percussionist Tom Collier is put in the limelight with a handful of other session musicians (and more) from the course of his career. The set is comprised entirely of Collier originals, passing from relaxed grooves to tests of the various percussive chops on the part of the band. Collier spends the bulk of his time on the vibes with good effect, but occasionally crosses over to the marimba, adding to the sound from Emil... read more
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
Doing an album of Duke Ellington tunes isn't a tough decision, and any number of fine artists have made perfectly lovely Ellington tribute albums. But from the very first track, bassist and arranger Rodney Whitaker makes it clear that while he's operating in a mode of love and reverence for America's greatest jazz composer, he's not going to be a slavish imitator. Leading a crack sextet, he instead puts his personal imprint on every selection,... read more
Peter Epstein and Idée Fixe - Abstract Realism
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Idee Fixe's method to music creation is a particularly improvised route. Rather than using composed sets, they improvise the backbone of jazz collectively. However, they go further -- they had no prior discussions, no (or rare) starting points from which to build. They simply start exploring ideas together while recording, leading to a particularly free format of jazz. The pieces on Abstract Realism tend to start out sparse, with a tone or two... read more
Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra - Groove Junkies
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The trombonist Ben Patterson and his D.C. based band treat us to 6 indeed groove filled selections, where diversity and energy are key.
The animated "Exclamation" starts the listen with bright brass that suits Todd Harrison's frisky drums and Chris Ziemba's flowing keys, and "Interesting Times" follows with Antonio Orta's meticulous alto sax front and center amid the strong attention to atmosphere.
The middle belongs to "The Way Of The... read more
Anthony Branker & Ascent - Spirit Songs
by Ed Sapiega, Jazz Views (UK)
Anthony Branker is a multi-talented artist who is known for his sophisticated approach to modern creative post-bop jazz. He is a composer, arranger, musical director, and educator.
Branker trained to be a trumpet player, however, he has focused on composing for much of his career due to health issues resulting from a brain aneurysm in 1999. Branker has been recognized as a "Rising Star Composer" in the 62nd and 63rd Annual Critics Poll by... read more
Sam Yahel - Truth And Beauty
by Pico, www.blogcritics.org
Joey deFrancesco. Tony Monaco. Larry Goldings. Barbara Dennerlein. All at the forefront of the current generation of jazz organists and heirs to the mantle of Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland and Jack McDuff.
Oh yeah, there's one more notable: Sam Yahel. But with the release this week of his fourth effort Truth And Beauty, Yahel is making the case that there is still room for another distinctive voice in the well-established world of the Hammond... read more
Brad Goode - The Unknown
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
4 1/2 - STARS One of the joys attached to reviewing music is the exposure to artists who otherwise might not show up on the radar. For every Pat Metheny there are a hundred highly-creative, lower-profile, hugely-talented guitarists plucking the strings; for every Brad Mehldau plying the trade ten dozen marvelous, relatively unknown pianists show up in the mailbox or the downloads. And for every Ralph Alessi out there blowing their horns,... read more
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