Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Peter Erskine & the JAM Music Lab All-Stars - Bernstein in Vienna
by Jürg Solothurnmann, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)
Musicians from the Vienna University JAM Music Lab pay tribute to Leonard Bernstein († 1990) and invite Peter Erskine as producer and soloist. There has always been an exchange between jazz and the melodies of musicals and revues. With his attractive creations such as "West Side Story", Bernstein continued this tradition, a fusion of light classical music, jazz and pop songs. This ORF concert recording under the direction of Danny Grissett... read more
Roberta Brenza - It's My Turn to Color Now
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
On the cover, vocalist Roberta Brenza doesn't wear her singing influence on her sleeve, but on her T-shirt, as a picture of bop pioneer Sheila Jordan peeks through with a smile. Her presence is felt and heard here, as Brenza mixes bop and modern jazz with a team of Stacy Dillard/ts-ss, Dawn Clement/p-key, Cameron Brown/b and Matthew Wilson/dr. Jordan jumps in for a couple tunes having a hoot of a time with Brenza and tenorist Dillard on a snappy... read more
Cathy Segal-Garcia & Phillip Strange - Live in Japan
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The superb voice of Cathy Segal-Garcia meets the fluid piano prowess of Phillip Strange here, where their dynamic chemistry is highlighted across two discs of tunes that were recorded in Osaka, Japan way back in December of 1992.
"I'm In The Mood For Love" starts the musical portion of the set with the pair interacting with much grace and playfulness in the cozy, classic tune that incorporates some charming scatting, and "You've Changed"... read more
Ben Thomas - Triskaidekaphobia
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
An intriguing third release from vibraphonist Ben Thomas, Triskaidekphobia is rather exploratory, bouncing from tone to tone, but performing all with an inventive vibe-clarinet format, more to the combos of Bobby Hutcherson and Eric Dolphy than those of Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton perhaps (more forward-oriented at any rate), but really not even within that vein. Here, the band takes on straightforward bop, post-bop, Brazilian idioms, and a... read more
Trio East - Best Bets
by Terry O'Mahoney, Percussive Notes
New York-based Trio East includes Eastman School of Music faculty members Clay Jenkins (trumpet), Jeff Campbell (bass) and Rich Thompson (drums). This unconventional jazz trio configuration challenges the myth that one needs a chordal instrument to complete an ensemble. Their skillful and melodic soloing, intuitive interaction, and compositional prowess more than compensate for the lack of a piano or guitar.
The nine tunes on the recording... read more
Marcos Varela - San Ygnacio
by John D'Auria, Bass Player
The latest album by young New York-based doubler Varela shows he can swing with the best of them, as exhibited on the opening track, "I Should Care." Varela's solo at the halfway point bursts with harmony, as he speeds his way up and down the fingerboard with precision. While the album as a whole is a melting pot of styles and vibes, it all merges together perfectly, thanks to Varela's vibrant upright... 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
Ryan Cohan - Originations
by Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
The best jazz recordings of 2020 to date: Savvy listeners already know that Chicago pianist-composer Cohan has a well-honed gift for writing long-form jazz compositions. It reaches a high point in "Originations," a suite Cohan performed to vivid effect at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in 2018. The new recording deepens earlier favorable impressions of the piece, which amounts to a series of tone poems in which Cohan explores his Middle... read more
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