Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John Adler - Confronting Inertia
by Laurance Vitters, Gramophone Magazine
New music breaking out of the acedemic world and into the nightclub. John Adler may not be a trumpet-playing beauty like Alieen Balsom or Tine Thing Helsch but the music he makes is but just the same. For this recording he and Tracy Cowden play seven new works commissioned for the "Confronting Inertia" project, which features trumpet works in classical forms written by jazz composers influenced now and then by usual suspects such as the... read more
Jared Hall - Seen on the Scene
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Rich toned trumpeter Jared Hall mixes his own tunes with that of bop master composer Tadd Dameron with his team of Vincent Herring/as, John Hansen/p, Michael Glynn/b and Matt Jorgensen/dr. It's a good call to delve into the underrated Dameron songbook, with two takes of "If You Could See Me Now" featuring sublime conversations between Hall and Hansen. A Latinized "Mating Call" has Herring searing over the pulsations, and a read of the cinema... read more
Alon Farber Hagiga - Dreams I Dream
by Kira Grunenberg, DownBeat
It's not all that unusual to sustain a jazz group for 20 or more years; longevity and legacy are practically hallmarks of the genre's history. Still, that doesn't mean it's easy to do. However, bandleader and Hagiga founding member Alon Farber has remained up to the challenge, and with Dreams I Dream, the composer and saxophonist has put together a record worthy of celebration, the Hebrew meaning behind his ensemble's name.
The dream-based... read more
Josh Nelson - Exploring Mars
by Editor, The Jazz Page
Composer-pianist Josh Nelson takes us on a journey to the red planet in his concept-driven new recording. Exploring Mars was inspired by the four robotic rovers exploring the planet and Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles". The sounds and feeling of the music certainly reflects the interstellar journey on which the listener embarks from the very first cut. The production quality lives up to the objective. Likewise, the musicianship is... read more
Michael Zilber - Originals for the Originals
by Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail
Vancouver-born, San Francisco-based Michael Zilber, a talent of the saxophone, a dexterous composer, and a respected educator, exhibited his impressive skills side by side with jazz luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Dave Liebman, Miroslav Vitous, and Dave Douglas.
Now, leading an elastic quartet whose reliable rhythm section includes David Kikoski on piano, James Genus on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums, Zilber prepared... read more
Josh Nelson - The Sky Remains
by Michael Doherty, Music Log
I've been residing in Los Angeles for approximately two decades, and there are things I've come to really love about this city. Certain places, certain buildings, even certain roads. There really is a special feel to this city, which when looked at in a certain light can be almost magical. Fellow Los Angeles resident Josh Nelson explores different areas of the city on his new album, The Sky Remains. He is interested in capturing and conveying... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - Full-On!
by Paula Edelstein, AXS
When Chris Walden is not busy creating orchestral settings for major pop stars like Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Michael Buble, Smokey Robinson or Diana Krall, the prolific composer/arranger/conductor focuses on his first love, swinging big band jazz music. With Full-On!, (Origin, 82669), Walden's fifth recording as a leader, the Los Angeles-based multiple award-winning virtuoso presents an irrepressibly swing outing that showcases 5 new... read more
Jessica Williams - Freedom Trane
by John Frederick Moore, Jazziz
Is Jessica Williams capable of a false step?
The pianist continues to put out one stellar recording after another, though without the fanfare that accompanies some of her peers. Her latest, a tribute to John Coltrane, is as soulful as anything she's recorded and just as elegant.
The eight tracks are evenly split between Williams originals and Coltrane classics. The opener, Williams' "The Seeker," plays like a Coltrane tune. Williams'... read more
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