Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Intrada
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A throwback to the glory days of arrangers, Slonaker is a cat working in the shadows of Hollywood composing and arranging for loads of shows and movies that you wouldn't know he had a hand in unless you hang around for the credits, in small type. A dynamic set with a big band populated by the crime of contemporary jazz, this is one of those sets that looks forward while looking back. He reveres the past enough that he won't make you forget... read more
Dan Cray - Meridies
by Jayson Greene, emusic Review
Nice straight-ahead set of tunes featuring former Chicagoan Dan Cray on piano leading a quartet that includes new sax wunderkind Noah Preminger. Nothing groundbreaking, just decent jazz. Album ender ?March of the Archetypes? not only sends the album off on a terrifically addictive note, but has me intrigued to see where Cray goes with his next recording. I love an album that ends on a strong... read more
Michael Dease - Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Jim Hynes, Making a Scene
Around Michigan State University's Jazz Studies Department, composer and East Lansing, MI resident Gregg Hill has taken on the kind of esteemed status one would associate with Charles Mingus or Duke Ellington. Found in Space - The Music of Gregg Hill by trombonist/baritone saxophonist Michael Dease represents the fifth album of Hill's music with a sixth from Dease coming in the future. Most of those recordings, all from MSU faculty members -... read more
Roberta Brenza - It's My Turn to Color Now
by Derek Ansell, Jazz Views (UK)
Any jazz vocal album that features Sheila Jordan as a guest on two selections is worthy of close investigation and this one is no exception.
Not that the veteran jazz singer is the only attraction here as Ms Brenza gives a sterling performance throughout this programme.
The opening title song swings away merrily and it is in fact the singer's very first composition dating from 2014. Song For My Father is given a brisk vocal treatment with... read more
Michael Orenstein - Aperture
by S Victor Aaron, Something Else!
The untold positive story in jazz today is that there are still so many young men and women who are incredibly talented jazz musicians and willing to keep this genre alive, and for no other reason than being passionate about this music. One of these who has only in the last few years who has entered the scene is pianist and composer Michael Orenstein.
Already, Orenstein comes as a 2021 graduate (masters) from University of Southern... read more
Marius Nordal - Ways of the Hand
by Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
The title of this album, Ways of the Hand, does not refer to the trickery of a clever magician. Rather it describes the one of a kind styles and talents of the six piano artists to whom Marius "Butch" Nordal pays tribute on this his second release for the Origin label. It's too bad that these tracks aren't arranged in chronological order so one can see the connection between the mannerisms of each as well as the development of the art of... read more
Bruce Barth Trio - Dedication
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
An important piece of the New York jazz scene for 4 decades now, Bruce Barth brings his inimitable piano skills to these 7 well thought out and rich pieces that welcome Vincente Archer (bass) and Montez Coleman (drums).
"George's Party (For George Perry)" opens the listen with a bouncy and frisky display of warm keys, swift drumming and fluid bass lines, and "Courage (For All Of Us)" follows with a calmer display of agile piano and strategic... read more
Lincoln Goines - The Art of the Bass Choir
by Kevin Johnson, No Treble
Lincoln Goines is a consummate bassist and renowned educator who has been a mainstay of the New York City scene for decades. Originally from Oakland, the bassist quickly found his groove in the Big Apple in the '70s, where he got to work with Idris Muhammad, Dave Valentin, Paquito D'Rivera, Dizzy Gillespie, Bob Mintzer, and many more. Between his steady performances, recording, and teaching at Berklee College of Music, Goines has always kept... read more
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