Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Laurie Antonioli and Richie Beirach - Varuna
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
This absorbing release - an album that's something of a sequel to The Duo Sessions (Nabel Records, 2005) - finds vocalist Laurie Antonioli and pianist Richie Beirach painting one divine musical tableau after another. There are vivid numbers that place Antonioli's seraphic vocals atop Beirach's dense and full-flavored chords, spare readings that allow fragility and the human condition to come to the surface, and standards shaped and molded to... read more
Jeff Johnson - Free
by Doug Ramsey, JazzTimes, May 2000
Bassist Jeff Johnson is admired for his work with modern mainstream musicians like pianists Jessica Williams, Hal Galper and Jack Brownlow. Here, in a different milieu, he has produced the quietest far-out album I've ever heard. Johnson frees himself for unfettered explorations with soprano and tenor saxophonist Hans Teuber and drummer Billy Mintz. The surfaces of their music are placid. Volume and dynamics levels are generally low; Mintz... read more
Piet Verbist - Flamenco Jazz Summit: El Mar Empieza Aqui
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Exciting and enticing moments from Iberia and beyond take place on this album led by bassist Piet Verbist along with pianist Milan Verbist, saxist Tom Van Dyck, drummer Juan Sainz, Carlos Cortes on flamenco guitar and percussion and the inclusion of Carmelo Muriel playing the traditional flutelike bansuriney. The ideas range from a modal and Coltranish "Bull" featuring some searing soprano to Andalusian exoticism with glorious alto sax and flute... read more
Scott Reeves Quintet - The Alchemist
by Edward Blanco, All About Jazz
Trombonist, composer and band leader Scott Reeves once performed a live concert at the City College of New York with his then quintet, which has now been documented as his newest offering entitled The Alchemist. However, new is not the operative word here, as this musical event took place on May 5th, 2005. While concentrating on compositions and recordings for his jazz orchestra over the last ten years, the pandemic provided Reeves with the... read more
Bill Anschell - Figments
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Pianist Bill Anschell normally involves himself in projects that shine with a high polish, recordings like the Wellstone Conspiracy's collaborative Motives (Origin, 2010) and his own More to the Ear than Meets the Eye (Origin, 2006), or in the sideman slot on the marvelous Reunion, led by saxophonists Pete Christlieb and Hadley Caliman. In addition, Anschell served as Nnenna Freelon's pianist/arranger/musical director for a number of years,... read more
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Interaction
by Jan Kobrzinowski, Jazzthetik (Germany)
5-STARS David Friesen is one of the few who have really given the electric double bass its own "acoustic" voice and handwriting. Anyone who knows the intimacy of his solo concerts, for which Friesen is a pioneer, hardly misses it when he is in the trio with his music with his trio partners Joe Manis (ts, ss) and the drummers Charlie Doggett (CD 1) and Reuben Bradley CD 2 ) Splits. With David Friesen, improvisation and composition merge... read more
Tim Horner - The Head of the Circle
by Dave Sumner, emusic
emusic Pick of the Week - Hard to believe that this is just a sextet recording. Horner gets such a huge, yet finely detailed sound out of the group that you'd think they had a couple extra sets of arms helping with the heavy lifting. Lyrical as hell, and uplifting to boot. Joe Locke's vibes typically sound magical, but on this recording, he's casting spells left and right. I thought nothing could get better than Ted Nash's bass... read more
Florian Hoefner - Luminosity
by Ken Micallef, New York Jazz Record
On what basis do we judge and review jazz records? Is it on performance, skill, composition and production? Or should our criteria be more emotional? Does it elicit sadness, excitement? Do I get lost in the music and simply float along on its rhythm, pace, melody and movement? Florian Hoefner's Luminosity made me ask myself these questions, as it addresses all these criteria at once, a rare feat.
Hoefner's tunes are seamlessly intertwined,... read more
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