Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Convergency
by Richard J Salvucci, All About Jazz
In December 1910, Virginia Woolf once observed, human character changed and, along with it, so did everything else. Politics, society, religion, sex, all of it, she thought, would leave the ancien regime behind. And, to a point, she was correct. Within a few years, the old world was gone, swept away by war and revolution. It was not coming back. Ever.
Somehow, listening to the marvelous musical products of modern big bands, Woolf seems oddly... read more
Matija Dedic - MD in NYC
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Pianist Matija Dedic's MD in NYC tiptoes into existence on a delicate rhythm, joined in short order by a sprinkling of crystalline notes in the melody, with a whisper of brushes and spare but assertive bass lines. "Her Name" is one of the pianist's five originals in the set, and has a wistful reverence that speaks, perhaps, to a yearning infatuation, bringing to mind the artistry of Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock.
The Croatian-born... read more
Bobby Broom - Song And Dance
by Scott Gilliam, All About Jazz.com
The guitar trio is a challenging format for any six stringer. So often the end result is an album full of knuckle busting licks and very little in the way of substance. Veteran guitarist Bobby Broom avoids those pitfalls on his latest effort Song And Dance. Broom, along with bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins, avoids a noodle fest and serves the melodies the respect they deserve. Make no mistake though, these guys can cook.
The... read more
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
Hadley Caliman - Gratitude
by Joseph Blake, Times Colonist, Vancouver, B.C.
Tenor saxophone veteran Hadley Caliman has been a fixture on the Seattle jazz scene since moving to the Emerald City from California where he played with everyone from his mentor, Dexter Gordon, to high school classmate, Art Farmer, to recordings with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard and Santana. Now in his 70's, Caliman is a regular at Seattle's Second Avenue jazz club, Tula's and a long-standing member of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra,... read more
Anthony Branker & Ascent - Dance Music
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Anthony Branker directs his sextet Ascent in this stunning collection of originals. "The Renewal" is an insistent post-bop vehicle with fiery solos by alto saxophonist Tia Fuller and trombonist Clifford Adams, Jr. and tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen, followed by Jonny King's driving McCoy Tyner-influenced piano. The hip "Dance Music" is a trio showcase for Bowen, bassist Kenny Davis, and drummer Adam Cruz. The hard-charging post-bop vehicle "The... read more
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Charles L. Latimer, I Dig Jazz
If you attend a Rodney Whitaker concert, bank on getting a history lesson on whatever jazz music the bassist's group performs, and as a bonus some comic relief. For 25 years, he's taught jazz at Michigan State University. No surprise, he uses the bandstand to educate audiences, and his kidding them before introducing tunes is a piece of his musical personality. He's quick to jokingly warn an audience of his plans to pursue standup comedy when... read more
Gene Argel - Luminescent
by Tree Palmedo, Jazz Society of Oregon
Four decades into his career, Gene Argel has finally dropped his debut album. Recorded with some of Seattle's finest players, Luminescent is a bridging of Argel's original home -- he grew up in Tacoma -- and his adopted one, the island of Maui, where Argel has lived since 1982. There's a lot of catching up to do, and the album does its best to cover years of ground: some tracks are swinging, others funky, others haunting tributes to the... read more
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