Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Hal Galper - Trip the Light Fantastic
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
If you aren't familiar with pianist Hal Galper, you haven't been paying attention. He was a scholarship student at Boston's School of Music, just a few years after it came into existence in the 1950s; he has more than 80 recordings to his credit ? 20 as a leader ? and, in addition to his skill as a pianist, is a composer, arranger, publisher, teacher and author.
Galper always has been ahead of his time. In a biographical note, he recalls... read more
Upper Left Trio - Sell Your Soul Side
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Comparisons fly all over the place when writers try to describe the sound of an emerging pianist and his trio. From the percussive side the newcomer might get paired with Bud Powell, to use a past master, or McCoy Tyner, if we're going with a current player. On the other side of the spectrum there seem to be a lot of "young Bill Evanses" out there, a bunch of guys who fall into the Brad Mehldau/Fred Hersch camp. But in the end, it comes down to... read more
Hugo Fernandez New Grounds Quartet - Ozean
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
The line between straight-ahead jazz and fusion (or, heaven help us, "smooth jazz") can be fuzzy and the borderland it defines can be treacherous: tread carefully and you can create exciting and forward-thinking music; get careless and you might slip into a puddle of schlock. On his new album, guitarist Hugo Fernandez offers a master class in negotiating this difficulty: from his tone to his chord progressions, he delivers lush textures and... read more
Michael Waldrop - Native Son
by Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
About the album from the label's point of view: "Well known throughout Europe for decades, the virtuoso Serbian pianist Vasil Hadžimanov only became known to drummer Michael Waldrop while performing in a Belgrade club that Waldrop dropped into during one of his yearly visits with in-laws. Later, stuck in his Pacific Northwest home during the pandemic, Waldrop thought to include Vasil in a remote recording session of his tune "Belgrade," which... read more
Jessica Williams - Songs For A New Century
by Scott Yanow, JAZZIZ
One of the giants of the jazz piano since her solo breakthrough in the late 1980s, Jessica Williams has technique on the level of Oscar Peterson, a wit inspired by Thelonious Monk, a solid sense of swing and a very fertile imagination. She gives the impression she can play anything that occurs to her ? depending on the setting, the way she feels at the moment, and the way her life is evolving.
On Songs for a New Century, Williams performs... read more
Rodney Whitaker - Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The extraordinary bassist Rodney Whitaker is in some fine company here, where 10 songs unfold via this 4th collaboration between Whitaker and Gregg Hill.
The rich and dynamic title track opens with Rick Roe's well timed keys and Terell Stafford's bright trumpet that suits Whitaker's bouncy bass lines, and "Unknown Ballad" follows with Dana Hall's agile drumming and Rockelle Whitaker's soulful pipes adding much to the graceful... read more
Maddie Vogler - While We Have Time
by Paul Abella, WDCB, Chicago
Chicagoan Maddie Vogler has put together an impressive project with her new album, While We Have Time. Having recently graduated from the University of Illinois, she put together this debut album with a sextet featuring Tito Carrillo on trumpet, Matt Gold on guitar, Jake Shapiro on piano, Samuel Peters on bass and Neil Hemphill on drums. The leadoff track, "The Need to Be" is a fantastic song and arrangement that sounds like a slice of late 60's... read more
Greta Matassa - Portrait
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Vocalist Greta Matassa has a hint of Carmen McRae's tone in her voice as she sings with richness and wanderlust on this collection of standards. Teamed with Darin Clendenin/p, Clipper Anderson/b, Mark Ivester/dr and Alexey Nikolaev/sax, is luscious on Latin material like the sleek "Baubles Bangles and Beads" as well as the suave samba, "The Beat of My Heart" with Nikolaev's warm tenor sax. Anderson gives thick solo intros to a swinging "Gone... read more
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