Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Darrell Grant - Truth And Reconciliation
by Lynn Darroch, The Oregonian - May 27, 2007
Darrell Grant strides into a ragtag band room where students have assembled for a beginning jazz combo class. Chairs and music stands are scattered around a piano and drum set, where Grant keeps the beat as they struggle with a tricky Herbie Hancock tune. Through frequent breakdowns, he guides them patiently.
The floor is covered with green linoleum in this windowless basement far from the New York stages where Grant made his mark as a... read more
Jessica Williams - Songs of Earth
by Larry Hollis, Cadence
Songs of Earth dispenses with the upright bass and trap drum kit for a solo piano recital from Pacific Northwest player Jessica Williams. She had built up a healthy discography before she started devoting herself to solo settings in the eighties and these mostly improvised meditations were taken from tapings over a two year period (2009-2011) at Seattle's Triple Door. Pensive is the operative word here drawn from a half-dozen Williams writings... read more
Michael Zilber - East West: Music for Big Bands
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
After earning high praise from Dave Liebman, Zilber redefines what ambition and drive mean by coming forth with a twofer that features a bicoastal recording in which the sax man pulls out all the stops in arranging for big band. Highlighting what makes each coast special rather than pitting them against each other, this is a modern monster of a set where the blowing is unbridled and uncontained fiercely sending a joyful noise up through he... read more
Ray LeVier - Ray's Way
by Dick Crockett, The Voice, Sacramento
After a few selections, you realize it's a different cd and Ray Levier's personal history tells a story. It's not at all pleasant, but shows this young man's determination to follow his bliss.
Ray played drums at a young age on a drum set his father had in the basement, who showed him some early tricks. Then Ray suffered third degree burns, while sleeping in a clubhouse, a candle fell and ignited Ray's sleeping bag, and he suffered 3rd... read more
John Stowell - Resonance
by Rob Forbes-Roberts, Acoustic Guitar, September 2005
Jazz guitarist John Stowell unplugs for a solo set on acoustic guitars built by Portland luthier Mike Doolin. Playing a variety of Doolin's steel-, nylon-, and 12 string guitars, Stowell performs several excellent originals and covers such jazz standards as John Coltrane's "Equinox," Steve Swallow's "Peau Douce," and Jerome Kern's "Nobody Else but Me." The various acoustic textures of Doolin's instruments are intriguing but it's Stowell's... read more
Marlene Rosenberg - Bassprint
by John Corbett, Downbeat
"****" 4-STARS
A stalwart member of the Chicago scene, Marlene Rosenberg has made infrequent trips to the studio as a leader. Bassprint is her first CD in a decade, but it's well worth waiting for, and perhaps it shows the value of patience and persistence. Rosenberg is assured at the helm, nothing to prove, no chip on her shoulder.
Aside from two tasty tunes by Kenny Barron, all the music is original, showing the... read more
Chad McCullough - Dark Wood, Dark Water
by John Barron, All About Jazz.com
Seattle trumpeter/composer Chad McCullough makes his recording debut as a leader with Dark Wood, Dark Water, a diverse sextet outing featuring eight original compositions and a fresh take on the Lennon/McCartney classic "Blackbird." Along with the all-star rhythm section of pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson and Drummer John Bishop, McCullough is joined by saxophonists Mark Taylor and Geof Bradfield.
McCullough proves a... read more
Rodney Whitaker - Oasis: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Steven Miller, Sound in Review
Bassist Rodney Whitaker has assembled a refined quintet to present the music of composer Gregg Hill. The ensemble is Terell Stafford on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tim Warfield on tenor and soprano saxophones, Bruce Barth on piano, and Dana Hall on drums. Vocalist Rockelle Fortin also appears in four songs. Hill is a composer that has published over 145 original jazz compositions across various albums. Oasis: The Music of Gregg Hill presents ten... read more
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