Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Piet Verbist - Zygomatik
by Dustin Mallory, Cadence
Referring to either the muscle of facial expression or the paired cheekbone, this Zygomatik seeks to express a full range of emotional nuance. Verbist, the creative force behind this recording, displays his compositional abilities as well as his strength as a performer. His virtuosic technique on ?The Pale Blue Dot? (which also alludes to the swinging feel of John Coltrane?s ?Equinox,?) is contrasted by the simple, yet heavy, groove of tunes... read more
Rich Thompson - Generations
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Scene
This is actually a standard piano trio with dummer Thompson in a leadership role. Of the nine tunes included, seven are original compositions by trio members. A few comments on the two standards might be in order. ?I Hear a Rhapsody? is explored from every angle by pianist Chris Ziemba. He finally states the melody line the ?last time around,? making this an intensely creative and rewarding version of the classic tune. The other familiar melody... read more
Eric Jacobson - Heading Home
by Kevin Lynch, Milwaukee Shepherd Express
The album title suggests the cumulative memory of a journey that, once you hear this album, may have been epic. There's nothing grandiose about the Milwaukee trumpeter Jacobson's new album but his journey has inspired a whole album of original material and its strong stuff, one through eight. It opens with a burner that asserts not just the ability to play at a ridiculous speed, but as if they need to, given the title, "Survival."
By... read more
Jim Knapp Orchestra - Secular Breathing
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
This is a somewhat grandiose outing of big band jazz from the composing hands of Jim Knapp. A collective of Seattle jazz players -- as well as a couple alums that had wandered to New York -- were called together for the sake of the album. The basic sound that's created here isn't necessarily what one would think of upon hearing the term "big band." It's a basic modern jazz setup for the compositions, with references to classical, world, and folk... read more
Michael Zilber - East West: Music for Big Bands
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
On East West, his first-ever big-band enterprise, Canadian-born saxophonist Michael Zilber leads world-class ensembles in New York City and San Francisco, which speaks volumes about his artistry and gravitas. Zilber not only plays saxophone on both bands, he composed eight of the fourteen numbers on this handsome two-CD set and arranged all of them.
Even while playing and recording in smaller groups on both coasts and in Canada, Zilber had... read more
Bob Sneider & Joe Locke - Nocturne for Ava
by George Kanzler, All About Jazz New York
The versatility of vibraphonist Joe Locke comes to the fore here, one album moody with intricately arranged, programmatic/impressionistic music, the other a loose quartet date emphasizing solos as much as tunes.
There's a mid-20th Century feel to Nocturne for Ava, evoking that time when melodic jazz found its way into TV show themes and movie soundtracks. It also uses instrumentation - augmented in places by horns - made popular by the... read more
Brian Gephart - Standing On Two Feet
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Here is the type of stuff that completely restores my faith in jazz. You get six blue collar workers like Brian Gephart/ts-ss, Tom Garling/tb, Neal Alger/g, Karl Montzka/p, Kelly Sill/b and Eric Montzka/dr. They're never going to headline the Hollywood Bowl or the Village Vanguard, but they all know their stuff and they've got the music in their collective marrows. All nine pieces are Gephart originals, and each on is a complete joy, filled... read more
Amit Friedman - Sunrise
by Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm Best of 2012
Number Two:
Friedman's blend of Jazz and Middle-East music has had me enthusiastic all year long. An album that often soars, but doesn't forget to swing. This is the kind of joyful music that defines Jazz as something special. Many Jazz albums have a joyful sound, but rarely one as inspiring as Sunrise. It still hits me right square in the heart. I originally wrote that it was an album I wanted to shout from the rooftops and... read more
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