Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John Stowell - Solitary Tales
by George Fendel, Jazzscene, April 2009
Anyone who has witnessed a performance by master guitarist John Stowell, knows that he is far from your everyday guitarist. From the nearly vertical position of the guitar (not unlike the position of a cello) to the artist's expression and his closed eyes, Stowell is nearly one with the guitar. On this solo expedition, he plays both acoustic and electric guitars in the Portland, Oregon living room of his luthier, Mike Doolin. Stowell plays five... read more
Clarence Penn - Behind the Voice
by Stephen Graham, Marlbank (UK)
We're not really fans of albums with more than one or two singers present so approached Behind The Voice, which has 5 featured singers plus vocodered effects from the leader the fine ex-Betty Carter drummer Clarence Penn, with a certain amount of caution. Recorded over a period of two years at a Brooklyn studio we expected the best vocal choice to come from Kurt Elling who is on a cover of Peter Gabriel's 'Come Talk to Me.'
Of... read more
Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group - Live In Seattle
by Andrea Canter, JazzPolice.com
Joe Locke and Geoffrey Keezer: Live and Lush in Seattle
Two giants of modern mainstream jazz joined forces last fall at the Ballard Jazz Festival in Seattle, and the result was golden. Not only did this elegant quartet win an Earshot Golden Ear Award as the Northwest Concert of the Year for 2005, the music was recorded and released this month as the Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer Group, Live in Seattle (Origin Records). Now the 21st century has... read more
Joel Miller Sienna Dahlen - Dream Cassette
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Joel Miller sings, plays sax, piano, guitar and percussion while Sienna Dahlen joins him in voice on this folksy collection with jazz sensibilities. Horns produced by David Carbonneau/tp and Dave Grott/tb ad textures to the guitars provided by Francois Jalbert and Jordey Tucker, while Simon Page/b and Kevin Warren/dr keep the pace steady. There's a synth pop feel to material like "Blue Times" and the folksy "Flying Dream" while the most jazzy... read more
Darrell Grant - Truth And Reconciliation
by John Henry, Audiophile Audition
Another jazz project with a strong message, the sixth album with the noted pianist/composer leading concentrates on honoring the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa. Grant - who has worked with Betty Carter, Tony Williams and Roy Haynes - calls this double disc his dream project. He has assembled some top sidemen and varies the 16 tracks among piano trio, quartet, quintet and settings for his vocals on some of the tracks. In addition, he... read more
Roy Assaf & Eddy Khaimovich Quartet - Andarta
by John Barron, All About Jazz.com
Pianist Roy Assaf and bassist Eddy Khaimovich are true musical soul mates. Much like the legendary partnerships of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams, or Chick Corea and Gary Burton, Assaf and Khaimovich share unique similarities in their approach to playing and composing, perhaps as a result of their shared cultural heritage. On Andarta, the two New York-based, Israeli natives display strong technical skills... read more
Ziggurat Quartet - Calculated Gestures
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence Magazine
Calculated Gestures is by a group of veteran musicians from the Pacific Northwest who experiment with a gamut of sounds, using complex hip-hoppish beats on "XoBoX," snaky Indian melodies on "Vindaloo" and minimalist phrase repetition on "Oregonian Monkey Chant." These pieces often have the piano, bass, and drums locking into angular and fragmented rhythms while saxophonist Barber picks his way through on the top like he's climbing over barbed... read more
Jim Knapp Orchestra - It's Not Business, It's Personal
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Modern big band orchestral charts inspired by Gil Evans are delivered on this album by composer/arranger and conductor Jim Knapp and his 13 member ensemble. The textures created the horns sections are quite impressive, floating around John Hansen's piano on "Modal Horizon" with the flutes creating cirrus clouds of sound on "Miami Vince" and framing Jeff Hay's trombone on"Gray Skies". Drummer Matt Jorgensen rumbles under Mark Taylor/as, Vern... read more
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