Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Todd Bishop - Little Played Little Bird
by Dave Sumner, Bird Is The Worm Jazz Blog
Taking ownership of a series of obscure Ornette Coleman songs, drummer Todd Bishop shines them through a facet of his own view of the music, while leaving the beating heart of the originals intact, not a scratch upon them.
Most strikingly, the album is an easy listen. Not in the sense that it's straight-forward, but instead, Bishop doesn't needlessly complicate matters. Due to his inventiveness, Coleman's music already comes with its... read more
Hal Galper Trio - Invitation to Openness
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
4-STAR Pianist Hal Galper turned away from the life of touring in 2000, and eased into "the shed," to work on some innovative ideas that would change the shape of the piano trio. Rubato is where he went—a style of playing that stretches time, making it flexible, unpredictable and free. It takes special trio mates to assist in this, and he found them in his East Coast Trio, with bassist Tony Marino and drummer Billy Mintz, eventually,... read more
Cuong Vu - Leaps of Faith
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz.com
The order and presentation of music on a recording or in a recital are every bit as important in the music producer's skill set as is choosing what music to include. Had trumpeter Cuong Vu introduced his Vu-Tet's Leaps of Faith with the title piece, or "Child-Like (for Vina)," it would have been easy to dismiss the recording as a well-intentioned experiment, descending into noise and chaos before making its point. Instead, Vu and... read more
Thomas Marriott - Constraints & Liberations
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Trumpeter Thomas Marriott keeps growing as an artist. He has released CDs at a healthy pace since 2005: an introduction for many perhaps unwary jazz fans to some warped country western flavor on Crazy: The Music of Willie Nelson (Origin Records, 2008); cranking an all-star quintet up in a modern mainstream mode on Flexicon (Origin Records, 2009); and letting it rip on a two-trumpet blow fest with fellow brass man Ray Vega on East-West Trumpet... read more
Mike Pope - The Parts You Keep
by Raul Amador, Bass Musician
I am always impressed by the many things Mike Pope does, so needless to say, I was eager to give his new album, The Parts You Keep, a listen.
Mike has assembled an extraordinary group of musicians to bring this project to life... including his own mother, Ann Almond Pope, who is 85 years young and still gracing the world with her beautiful classical piano playing. Together, they present us with nine stunning tracks, each one carefully curated... read more
Jared Hall - Influences
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The trumpet wizard Jared Hall tips his hat to those who influenced him for 8 originals and a Gigi Gryce cover, where Tal Cohen, Michael Glynn and John Bishop are all in attendance.
"Songs For Shaw" opens the listen with Hall's swift horn that's complemented by Cohen's frisky keys, and "Dear Roy" follows with a calm, emotive spirit, as Bishop's subdued drums help create much elegance.
In the middle, "One For Wallace" is a rich and... read more
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra - Without a Trace
by Scott Yanow, New York City Jazz Record
A fine trombonist and alto flugelhornist, Scott Reeves has led small groups but it is with big bands that he really excels. He first recorded with the Indiana University Jazz Ensemble in 1969 but more significant have been his recorded arrangements and solos with orchestras led by Dave Liebman, Michael Treni and Bill Mobley. His own orchestra's debut recording was 2015's Portraits and Places. For the latest recording by his 17-piece band, Reeves... read more
Bad Luck - Four
by Scott Murphy, Heavy Blog
Bad Luck - Four (ambient jazz, avant-garde jazz)
Man, what a great album to kick off the column with. The first of my two numerically-titled picks is also the most easily-labeled "jazz" album of all my selections from the past few months. This isn't meant as a knock against Bad Luck, the moniker of duo Neil Welch (saxophone, live electronics) and Christopher Icasiano (drums). I'm guilty of seeking out the most non-jazz jazz albums I can... read more
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