Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by John Barron, The Jazz Word
Drummer Rich Thompson is the driving force behind this propulsive quartet recording that features a choice selection of tunes and exceptional soloists. Trumpeter Terell Stafford adds an element of fire to Kenny Dorham's "Lotus Blossom" and eloquence to the ballad "It's Easy to Remember." Doug Stone's tenor saxophone replaces Stafford on a couple of tracks. His soloing is characterized by warmth and a free-flowing approach to phrasing,... read more
Brad Wheeler - The Future Was Yesterday
by Neil Tesser, Chicago Reader
Chicago saxist Brad Wheeler plays with an infectious passion, but it's rooted as much in musical intellect as it is in his broad, swaggering tone on both tenor and soprano. Wheeler's name might ring a bell: he grew up in the Chicago suburbs and hit the local scene hard and fast in the 80's, but after he moved to Paris in 1990 his work all but vanished from these shores (though he did appear on a couple of Kurt Elling's Blue Note albums). Wheeler... read more
Geof Bradfield - Our Roots
by Mark Corroto, All About Jazz
4 STARS Without the blues, there would be no jazz, and arguably, no rock-and-roll. Think about it, if there were no rock-and-roll, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who stole every American blues lick they could find in the 1960s, would have had to get real jobs.
Jazz musicians suffer no illusions that their music wasn't born of the African-American blues tradition and its music is unequaled when it deals overtly with this... read more
Collier & Dean - Duets
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
This collaboration by Tom Collier and Dan Dean is a bit reminiscent at times of Gary Burton and Steve Swallow, possibly because that project might have been the only previous set of vibes-electric bass duets. Vibraphonist Collier hints at Burton in spots, but also displays his own musical personality, particularly on the more boppish pieces, such as Gerry Mulligan's "Five Brothers" and "So What." Dean is a particularly fluent and witty electric... read more
Les DeMerle - Comin' Home Baby
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Nominally under drummer/vocalist Les DeMerle's brand, vocalist Bonnie Eisele, brings to DeMerle's infectious brand of jazz that necessary feminine vector. The repertoire on Comin' Home Baby is tried-and-true, well performed, and perfectly satisfying, as have been all similar DeMerle releases. Eisele proves equally capable on the up-tempo tunes ("Day In Day Out" and "I Love Being Here with You") as on the ballads ("The Nearness of You"... read more
Lucas Pino - No Net Nonet
by Robert Ratajczak, Longplay (Poland)
Hailing from Arizona, New York tenor saxophonist Lucas Pino for a long time was a definite attraction performing in clubs as noble as, among others, The Blue Note, The Jazz Standard, Smalls Jazz Club and Dizzy's. For some time, however, he's done concerts around the world, visiting Canada, Australia and European countries (Poland could hear him, among others, in 2012 and 2014 in Poznan club Blue Note). He is an extremely active sideman,... read more
Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble - The Atwood Suites
by Kevin Press, Badd Press
Canadian author Margaret Atwood is arguably more relevant, and her work more consequential, than ever. And that's saying something for a world-famous writer with a long shelf of celebrated publications.
The Hulu television treatment of her insightful The Handmaid's Tale has helped win her a new generation of readers. It is a deeply unsettling thing to find that particular book gaining such resonance three decades after its first printing. But... read more
Michael Dease - Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The trombonist and baritone saxophonist Micheal Dease explores the works of Gregg Hill, and he's got an excellent cast with him or the adventurous 10 tracks.
The busy and animated "The Last Pop Tune" starts the listen with Bill Cunliffe's flowing keys and Sharel Cassity's bright flute making an impression, and the title track follows with a calmer mood, where Gwendolyn Dease's dreamy marimba suits the well-timed winds and brass... read more
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