Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Scenes - ...But Not Heard
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
ECM Records has been noted for its "Nordic Cool," school, from its many recordings of Scandinavian artists, with pianist Tord Gustavsen coming most readily to mind. Seattle's Origin Records has what can be called its "Northwest U.S. Cool" with recordings from bassist Jeff Johnson, saxophonist Hans Teuber , and the collective trio Scenes, with guitarist John Stowell, drummer John Bishop and, again, Jeff Johnson on bass.
Scenes' eponymous... read more
Kiki Valera - Vivencias en Clave Cubana
by Joe Ross, Roots Music Report
5-STARS Kiki Valera opens his debut album with "Mi Son," a tribute to Son Cubano, the music that originated in eastern Cuba in the late 1800s by black and mulatto musicians, and then incorporated both African and Spanish elements as it gained universal appeal. We learn that the music comes from the hills ("mi son viene de la loma"), has lyrics sung with grace, poetry, rhythm, love ("gracia y poesia, ritmo y amor") and if you want to... read more
Corey Christiansen - La Proxima
by Elliot Marlow-Stevens, Jazz Journal (London)
In the album notes of La Proxima, guitarist Corey Christiansen writes that his primary influence for this album was a desire to further explore African- and Cuban-inspired rhythm and groove. Christiansen was helped in this project by percussionist Michael Spiro, a fellow teacher at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, and bassist David Belove and drummer Colin Douglas, and together the quartet blend contemporary jazz and Afro-Cuban... read more
Laurie Antonioli and Richie Beirach - Varuna
by Carol Banks Weber, AXS
Very rarely lately does the album artwork match the music waiting for the right listener to unlock a whirlwind of emotions. Here on Laurie Antonioli and Richie Beirach's vocal-piano duo album, they do as the pair invites listeners to sit in on their celestial conversation set to stun.
Bay Area jazz singer Laurie Antonioli is not a strong vocalist, but what she does with songs is carry them further than those with every octave on command or... read more
Roxy Coss - Restless Idealism
by Bob Weinberg, JAZZIZ
Plaudits and plum assignments are nothing new to saxophonist Roxy Coss. The New York City-based musician, who graduated Magna Cum Laude from William Paterson University in 2008, has earned coveted space with the Mingus Big Band and The Diva Jazz Orchestra and was a member in good standing of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt's group. Fronting her own band, she held down a weekly residency at Smoke for a couple of years. None of this escaped the notice of... read more
Ray LeVier - Ray's Way
by Don Lerman, Cadence
Leader and drummer Ray Levier utilizes a top-notch cast of musicians in different group combinations ranging from trio to quintet size in this excellent concert of mostly original music. The pairing of John Abercrombie and Joe Locke on guitar and vibes occurs on five of the nine selections, performing thought-provoking originals from each core group member, including Abercrombie's "Ralph's Piano Waltz," bassist Francois Moutin's "Echoing," and... read more
Affinity Trio - Hindsight
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The trio of Eric Jacobson, Pamela York and Clay Schaub, as Affinity Trio the midwest outfit pen a timeless version of jazz that spreads out across 10 diverse tracks. The vivid trumpet from Jacobson and warm keys from York opens the listen with the glowing "Open Windows", and "Fitzroy" continues the dynamic interaction with soulful brass and well timed bass lines. Halfway through, "Themes For Ernie" focuses much on the emotive horn and twinkling... read more
Hugo Fernandez New Grounds Quartet - Ozean
by Dorothea Gängel, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)
Mexican guitarist Hugo Fernandez focuses on the ocean on his latest album - the place where life on Earth originated. And it is also the place where cultural exchange took place as peoples set out to explore the continents. Fernandez composed the individual pieces on the album for his quartet in Berlin, his adopted home. A warm sound runs through the entire work, soft, atmospheric, and yet not without surprising twists and turns. Exemplary is... read more
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