Here's one the moldy figs won't be able to handle. A jazzbo guitarist gets together with an electronic dj and rounds out his sound with some first call downtown cats. You call almost hear listeners kvetching the way they did when Eric Dolphy first started being out there. Not really jazz, not really King Crimson or Kraftwerk, it's a trip into the next wave that has to be taken on its own terms. Feeling closer to Bernie Krause without the... read more
The Austrian vocalist Maja Jaku brings her distinct voice to these 7 personal tracks that comprise this rich 5th album.
"The Witch" starts the listen with Dezron Douglas' emotive bass and Alan Bartus' intimate keys that suit Jaku's striking voice, and "I'm A Queen" follows with Johnathan Blake's strategic drums amid the expressive singing.
"Blessings Will Come" and "Never Let Me Go" land in the middle. The former has Jaku singing with a... read more
Seattle-based pianist Randy Halberstadt's second release for Origin offers three attractive dimensions to his music as performer and composer.
The band is Randy Halberstadt's regular trio - Randy Halberstadt (piano), Jeff Johnson (bass), Mark Ivester (drums) ? expanded to a quintet on seven of the nine tracks with the addition of Mark Taylor (alto /soprano saxes) and Thomas Marriott (trumpet / flugelhorn).
Miles Davis' 'Solar' and Sam... read more
Bill Anschell is a pianist arranger who provides here that subtle miracle of jazz performance, making an elephant walk on stilts. Deep in tone and soul his tunes and a couple of covers, (most notably Monk's "Misterioso" with a super performance from Seattle's Richard Cole on sax),have solidity and assuredness, and yet seem casual and airy at the same time.... read more
Joonsam is a bassist that brings together a wide palate of sounds and colors. The core trio with Aaron Parks/p and Nate Woods/dr are augmented by a rotating team of Ralph Alessi/tp, Ben Monder/g, and a handful of cameos. Wood rocks hard with Monder's guitar on "Zadrak" and the trio rustles to Alessi's horn on "Whirlwind." Reflective and quiet, "Love Trauma" is enhanced by Yeahwon Shin's vocals" and Chung Eun Han's bamboo flute reflects like a... read more
As the title suggests, trombonist Ben Patterson does not really break through all boundaries on his latest CD, but the way in which he knows how to alternate swing and bop and seamlessly merge them into each other commands respect.
An extremely colorful program that he wrote together for a combination of guitar, keys, bass, drums and trombone. Thanks to the impulses of guitarist Shawn Purcell, everything regularly shifts responsibly towards... read more
The Seattle-based quintet Speak explores a multitude of musical moods with their eponymous recording debut. An exemplary model of genre-defying music, the disc features original compositions that delve into odd-metered progressive rock grooves and spontaneous bursts of improvised sound that are at times explosive.
The opening cut "Amalgam in the Middle" makes anthemic pronouncements with an extended section for Aaron Otheim's intensity... read more
West Coast tenor David Sills presents an interesting mix of Hard Bop and Tristano-Konitz-Getz Cool on his latest CD. The presence of Alex Foster is most welcome?he brings his style remarkably in tune with Sills' vision and still sounds great in the process. In the arrangements the two saxes often play in tandem with the guitar on the head melodies, like on "Melon Head" and "Fontok." It adds a dimension and gives good contrast with the rhythm... 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