Having been fortunate enough to be a member of so many of the greatest jazz bands, let me begin this review by stating that I sure wish I'd been a member of this one. This band list is definitely a who's who of the best musicians in Los Angeles, jazz or studio: jazz for the inventiveness of the solos and swing of the music, and studio for the technical ability of the musicians, or as Phil put it: "There wasn't time for a rehearsal�we�put the ink... read more
Lost Recordings.... A "live" recording dating back to December 4, 1991 when tenor saxophonist John Gross, pianist Art Resnick, drummer Billy Mintz and bassist Jeff Johnson got to work together at Falcon Studios in Portland, Oregon.
On the program all compositions by Johnson ranging from razor-sharp bop with solos by the four musicians ('Linden Station') to ballads with jagged corners ('Leviathan'), mid-tempo swing... read more
A real piano left fielder, Clement teams up for duets in various formats with real hitter pals of hers she admires. Even the chestnuts on parade take on a new life for the left leaning ears. Not for the feint of heart, this is one of those excursions where so little can say so... read more
Before this review delves into the overarching aesthetic issues which we critics so like to concern ourselves, I should note that the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra's two-CD compilation of pieces from Duke Ellington's three Sacred Concerts provides solid performances of mostly remarkable music. The Oregon Repertory Singers sound especially good under their conductor, Gil Seeley, delivering an exquisite textured account of Duke's a capella... read more
For her 14th album, the Los Angeles-born jazz singer Cathy Segal-Garcia took a look back at the past and rearranged and interpreted unforgettable songs with social content. With Anthony Wilson on guitar, Josh Nelson on piano, Lorca Hart on drums, Edwin Livingston on bass and the two singers Paul Jost and Mon David, Segal-Garcia has brought in selected top musicians. Stephen Stills' protest anthem from the 1960s "For What It's Worth" opens the... read more
Rare lost work from funky drummer Les DeMerle - a set of tracks that were recorded for Atlantic Records in 1967, two years before DeMerle's classic Spectrum album - yet which finally appear here for the first time ever! Les is rock-solid, right from the start - definitely one of those younger players really helping to shift the sound of the larger jazz group at the end of the 60s - with fresh arrangements that bring in plenty of currents... read more
Playing more varieties of bass that could be listed in a review, Lincoln Goines celebrates the bass with a wide variety of guests including Tom Kennedy, Goins Vasileva, Victor Wooten, Susan Hagen, Gal Aviram and Mike Pope (am I missing anyone?) supported by a clever support team of drummers. The choice of famed stick man Dennis Chambers is a brilliant one, getting funky with an overdubbed collection of rubbernecked strings on "Spank A Lee" a... read more
The Jazz Orchestra of trombonist and composer Ben Patterson, based in Washington DC, recorded so much material in three days that two albums could be compiled from it. "Groove Junkies" contains the more fusion-oriented part of that, on "Mad Scientist Music" we hear the band in a kind of contemporary mainstream mode. But then, indeed, a bit crazy. To start with "Groove Junkies" (for the Telegraaf readers among us: Groove Junks): the opening... 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