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Patitucci is on board for Truth And Reconciliation, a mostly trio, two-disc set from pianist Darrell Grant. With Brian Blade on drums, the ambient master Bill Frisell popping up on guitar and vibes chilling the mix courtesy of Joe Locke, the mood is cool to medium up. Aside from "The Way You Look Tonight," on which Grant cultivates a Hornsby-like essence, Grant's material dominates this set, all of it thoughtfully and economically... read more
Let me first preface this review by saying that whenever I hear the word ?free jazz' I always cringe. Not that I have anything against free jazz per se ? there are some groups that do it extremely well thinking back to Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry and Steve Lacy to more recent excursions by Dave Douglas, Greg Osby and David Binney. And then there are other groups that, well, I would be hard pressed to classify as music.
The trick is trying to... read more
Artists have been mixing rock and jazz for about 50 years now. Most of the time it takes either one of two forms - rock tunes with some added jazz instrumentation and stylistic touches, or music that comes basically from a jazz composing style with electric instrumentation. Examples from the early days include respectively, Blood Sweat & Tears, and the Mahavishu Orchestra. Jazz-rock fusion continues in the 21st Century and sometimes gets fairly... read more
5-STARS I met John Moulder thanks to the Chicago drummer Paul Wertico, who presents avant-garde fusion with his teams with Moulder. He remains one of the most underestimated jazz guitarists in the world. His work combines elements of both jazz tradition, jazz-rock, blues and folk. This Chicago guitarist and composer has developed a characteristic, recognizable style over the years - intense and rapacious, he is a hellishly exact,... read more
Trumpet blow-offs, like harmonica cutting sessions, many times are unsuccessful as they can be exercises in ego inflation. Dating back to the 1950s there has been an impression that when East coast players meet their Western counterparts, the East coast horn players blow hot and the Left coast brass players blow in a cooler vein. It's kind of like comparing Chet Baker to Roy Eldridge. As traveling between the coasts became much more common these... read more
Carlos Vega, saxophonist and composer, was well-established in the Latin music scene of Miami and a student of Jazz when he made the move to Chicago in 2005. Having played with Arturo Sandoval and Tito Puente, he found a happy convergence of all his musical experiences and influences among the musicians of Chicago.
It was this that brought about Bird's Ticket (Origin 82708) and a collaboration with some of Chicago's first-call players. With... read more
In addition to Carlos's totally engaging saxophone, you've got Victor Garcia on Trumpet, Stu Mindeman doing Piano and Rhodes, Josh Ramos with Acoustic Bass and Xavier Breaker on Drum set on this all-original set... the opener alone makes it clear that this is a jazz group you'll want to listen to over & over again, and takes me (way) back to my earliest days in jazz listening... "A Confluence in Chi-Town" clocks in right at 9:00, and will have... read more
Not only is Seattle known for giving us Starbucks coffee, but it is the home of Origin Records, who gives some fresh sounding modern jazz sounds from rising stars.
Drummer Tad Britton brings together Hans Teuber/sax-key-fl, Jeff Johnson/b and Pete Fogle/g for some fresh post bop sounds. Most of the material is composed by Johnson, which explains the clever bass work on many of the tracks such as the freewheeling "Gone" and the funky... read more
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect