Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Greta Matassa - Favorites From A Long Walk
by Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times
SEATTLE'S HIDDEN GEM
If the vision of Seattle as grunge city and the spawning ground for acts such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana and the Foo Fighters suggests that the only form of music with a significant presence in the city is rock, think again. Sunday's performance by Seattle singer Greta Matassa in Beverly Hills at a fundraiser for the Rising Jazz Stars Foundation offered convincing evidence of the high-quality jazz in the Northwest's largest... read more
Geoff Stradling - Les is Mo'
by R.D. Wood, Amazon
Geoff Stradling is a highly accomplished composer, arranger, and musician living in Los Angeles. This is his debut work as a group leader and it is superb. Stradling is composer of unusual and original melodies and arrangements that are thoughtful, intelligent, and emotive. All compositions are by Stradling except "Stella by Starlight", presented here in an unexpected and pleasing arrangement that transforms the tune. The other players here are... read more
Michael Dease - Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Editor, The Jazz Page
Michael Dease's Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill is an impressive tribute to Hill's compositions, blending a rich mixture of jazz traditions with modern flair. Dease's trombone leads an extraordinary ensemble through a set of intricate pieces that playfully navigate between varying time signatures, showcasing both technical mastery and emotional depth. Each musician contributes uniquely, with standout performances from Rudresh Mahanthappa... read more
Roberta Brenza - It's My Turn to Color Now
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
On the cover, vocalist Roberta Brenza doesn't wear her singing influence on her sleeve, but on her T-shirt, as a picture of bop pioneer Sheila Jordan peeks through with a smile. Her presence is felt and heard here, as Brenza mixes bop and modern jazz with a team of Stacy Dillard/ts-ss, Dawn Clement/p-key, Cameron Brown/b and Matthew Wilson/dr. Jordan jumps in for a couple tunes having a hoot of a time with Brenza and tenorist Dillard on a snappy... read more
Benjamin Boone with the Ghana Jazz Collective - Joy
by Ron Netsky, Rochester City Paper (NY)
When saxophonist Benjamin Boone—a professor at California State University, Fresno—traveled to Ghana to study as a Fulbright Scholar, he never expected to record an album. But one night at an Accra bar he encountered The Ghana Jazz Collective, a group of musicians as fluent in American jazz as they were in West African traditions. The resulting album is a product of this wonderful merging of cultures. If the great title tune, "Joy," seems... read more
Michael Zilber - East West: Music for Big Bands
by Marco Cangiano, The New York City Jazz Record
Michael Zilber's resumé is rich and varied, deserving much wider recognition. Originally from Canada, he spent the first part of his career in New York then moved across the country to San Francisco, where he now resides. This is by far his most ambitious project and first recording with big bands, following the very successful Originals for the Originals and the quartets he shared with guitar great John Stowell. Zilber's writing reflects a... read more
Bridge Quartet - Night
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Scene
I don't know if the use of the word Bridge in this group's name is a reference to Portland's numerous Willamette River crossings or, perhaps, a suggestion that this ismusic to reach out to anyone willing to listen. Perhaps both concepts might be fitting. Three quarters of this quartet are resident Portlanders: Darrell Grant, piano; Tom Wakeling, bass; and Alan Jones, drums. The fourth is tenor saxophonist Phil Dwyer, who makes frequent forays... read more
Randy Halberstadt - Flash Point
by Tim Taylor, Audiophile Audition
Pianist Randy Halberstadt is a major player in the Pacific Northwest Jazz Scene. Flash Point is another fine presentation of post-bop jazz coming out of Seattle. Randy recorded this album with his working trio of Jeff Johnson-bass and Mark Ivester ? drums adding Mark Taylor ? alto sax and Thomas Marriott - trumpet to make it a quintet. Randy composed six of the nine songs recorded.
Flash Point begins with "Rigenia" and... read more
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