Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John Stowell / Michael Zilber - Basement Blues
by Mike Joyce, JazzTimes
Following this West Coast ensemble's two widely acclaimed recordings, Shot Through With Beauty and Live Beauty, Basement Blues may seem like a departure, in tone and tack. But as "Stowell in Heart" and other highlights here warmly illustrate, Basement Blues is similarly riddled with charms, to say nothing of its soulful allure and conversational postbop gambits.
A bit of good cheer, too, enlivens this... read more
Jim Knapp Orchestra - It's Not Business, It's Personal
by Mark Stryker, JazzTimes
There are two kinds of jazz listeners. Those who recognize Jim Knapp as a profound large-ensemble composer and arranger of uncommon imagination, depth, and expression—and those who have yet to hear his music.
Knapp, who died November 13 at age 82, was a revered bandleader, composer, arranger, trumpeter, and teacher in the Pacific Northwest. He taught for decades at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and worked in myriad idioms: big... read more
Hal Galper / Reggie Workman / Rashied Ali - Art-Work
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Hal Galper's recordings always have an adventurous spirit, and the live CD Art-Work is no exception. The veteran pianist, joined by bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Rashid Ali (both veterans of John Coltrane's bands, though not at the same time), launches into a furious exploration of Duke Ellington's simple riff blues "Take the Coltrane," though Galper incorporates dissonance into the introduction and quickly builds steam as he takes the... read more
Josh Nelson - Exploring Mars
by Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
Pianist Nelson's ode to the Red Planet, inspired by science, stories and space travel. A deft mix of solo, small & large ensemble, instrumental and vocal pieces. For an album with a (relatively) small sound, it's awfully damn... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - Full-On!
by Scott Yanow, Downbeat
A busy arranger-composer in Los Angeles for the studios, films and television, Chris Waldon has also been leading a worthy if part-time jazz big band. On Full On! six singers are featured on seven selections, but Walden's orchestra is never merely in the background. In fact, with a few exceptions, the singers can be thought of as guest soloists who take their turns in the spotlight along with the instrumental soloists and the... read more
Nnenna Freelon - Time Traveler
by Alex Henderson, The New York City Jazz Record
Nnenna Freelon was in the middle of recording Time Traveler, her first new album in over a decade, when her husband of 40 years died from Lou Gehrig's disease in 2019 and it ended up becoming a tribute both to her partner and the R&B and pop of the '60s and '70s. The album gets off to an R&B-drenched start with
the Burt Bacharach-Hal David favorite "I Say a Little Prayer". Freelon's "Marvin Medley" is billed as a tribute to soul icon... read more
Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra - Groove Junkies
by Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
In the liner notes to Groove Junkies by Harry Schnipper of Blues Alley Jazz, the music of arranger-composer Ben Patterson is accurately described as "hard-driving, bone-chilling, electrified funk." While there is no shortage of contemporary funk recordings, 13-horn 17-piece ensembles that perform in this style are not exactly common.
The Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra, which is based in Washington DC, plays five originals by its leader and... read more
Chad McCullough Bram Weijters - Urban Nightingale
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
The Seattle/Antwerp connection shows us the corner where cerebral meets moving easy for a Friday, after hours session where having a drink and chilling out beats fighting traffic. More than background music and not nearly as artsy as it might seem when you aren't listening too closely, this crew brings some different sensibilities to the stew that simmer nicely together. Fun stuff to kick back with.... read more
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