Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Toby Koenigsberg - Sense
by Jim Santella, Cadence, December 2006
Sense features the Toby Koenigsberg Trio in a modern mainstream program that includes original works as well as those of pioneers such as Bud Powell and Bill Evans. Based in Oregon, and working cohesively as old friends will do, the trio offers creative forays into Jazz's core. Two brief interpretations of "Stella By Starlight" serve to demonstrate the unique approach that the pianist and his trio apply to their work. Nothing is straightforward.... read more
Scott Reeves - Portraits and Places
by Travis Rogers, Jr., JazzTimes
Scott Reeves has written and recorded for the hottest big bands and has taught at the finest Jazz schools including Julliard and, currently, at the City University of New York (CUNY). His textbooks on Jazz improvisation are required reading everywhere. After assembling his own 16-piece Big Band in 2008, he has finally released his debut album, Portraits and Places (Origin 82710).
The album features seven Reeves original compositions in... read more
Scott Hesse - The Stillness of Motion
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Guitarist Soctt Hesse taps into his inner Jim Hall on this trio date with Clark Sommers/b and Makaya McCraven/dr. The mood is gentle and subdued, with even the tune called "Hendrix" a quiet avalanche. There's some chugging rhythms on "In The Air Again," but the emphasis is on McCraven's sophisticated and stylish brushes and cymbal work serving as a gentle nudge for Hesse's cool toned guitar on "Laws of Motian" and "Sage." As impressionistic as a... read more
Benny Powell - Nextep
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Scene
Benny Powell can hand you a resume with the likes of Basie, Jones-Lewis, Heath, and Benny Carter to name a few. This time out, however, it's Benny's own band with TK Blue on reeds, Sayuri Goto, piano, Essiet Essiet, bass, Billy Hart, drums. The group begins with a New Orleans-like street march called "Free to Be Me." It seems to set the pace for the remaining nine originals by various band members. For the most part, there's a nice, laid-back,... read more
Mark Colby - Reflections
by Michael Jackson, Downbeat, June '09
Any jazzman who sees fit to record "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is clearly of a romantic persuasion. But this track, though a nice trio feature, is less arresting than Chicago tenor saxophonist Mark Colby's own "Reflections." The title track alludes to David Raksin's "Laura," and elsewhere there are sprinklings culled from jazzlore of yore. "Myth Mary's Blues" suggests a conflation of Sonny Rollins' "Tenor Madness" and "Blue... read more
Andrea Brachfeld & Insight - Evolution
by Angela Ballhorn, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)
4-STARS The American flautist Andrea Brachfeld has recorded an impressive new album with her quartet Insight. She uses a wide variety of flutes, from the normal C flute to the alto flute and various bamboo flutes, which add an exciting touch of world music. Her trio is spectacular, and pianist Bill O'Connell in particular impresses with his gripping up-tempo improvisations. Andrea Brachfeld has tailored eight pieces with different... read more
John Stowell / Dave Glenn & The Hawčaptak Quartet - Violin Memory
by Georg Modestin, Jazz 'N' More (Switzerland)
5-STARS They have known each other for a long time, the American guitarist John Stowell and his compatriot Dave Glenn, the latter a trombonist. The two musicians are no longer the youngest, Stowell was born in 1950, Glenn in 1951, and both can look back on long careers on stage and in the classroom. Over the years they have repeatedly come together as a duo, a duo with a highly unusual line-up that has developed a very personal, chamber... read more
Anthony Branker & Ascent - Spirit Songs
by Ed Sapiega, Jazz Views (UK)
Anthony Branker is a multi-talented artist who is known for his sophisticated approach to modern creative post-bop jazz. He is a composer, arranger, musical director, and educator.
Branker trained to be a trumpet player, however, he has focused on composing for much of his career due to health issues resulting from a brain aneurysm in 1999. Branker has been recognized as a "Rising Star Composer" in the 62nd and 63rd Annual Critics Poll by... read more
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