Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra - Without a Trace
by Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs
This winter, a plethora of big band and orchestra CDs have crossed my desk. The Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra is another very fine example of precision arrangements and excellent musicianship in pursuance of jazz orchestration. From the first Latin strains of cut #1, "Speak Low," I was captivated. This familiar jazz standard features alto saxophonist Steve Wilson and trumpeter Chris Rogers. Each soloist is dynamic and technically astute. An... read more
Shawn Purcell - 180
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Guitarist Shawn Purcell's latest CD, 180, is all about swinging; Purcell's trio, Pat Bianchi on Hammond B3 organ, Jason Tiemann on drums, nestles squarely into the groove on the double-quick opener, "Cat and Mouse," which sets an upbeat tone for the album as a whole.
The rhythm seldom flags on Purcell's sunny compositions (he wrote all but one of the album's eleven numbers). An exception to the rhythmic rule is the lone standard, Johnny... read more
Marc Seales - People & Places
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
When planning an album, one good idea can make a world of difference. If, for example, a trio is in place but a horn is needed to make it a quartet, asking the incomparable Ernie Watts to fill that chair is always a good idea. That is what Jazz Hall of Fame pianist Marc Seales has done on People & Places, at least his twenty-second album, leading various groups in a productive career that has spanned more than four decades.
Even... read more
Clipper Anderson - Ballad of the Sad Young Men
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Hidden in the basement of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington is bassist/vocalist Clipper Anderson. Not ringing any bells? That's because he has been a sideman, buried behind the principals on upwards of 60 recordings while recording as leader on two previous releases: And to All a Goodnight (Origin Records, 2011) and The Road Home (Origin Records, 2012). Anderson follows up this latter recording with Ballad of the Sad Young Men,... read more
Scott Hesse - The Stillness of Motion
by Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation
I have no doubt that jazz listeners in search of total-cool work in trio sessions will love Scott's splendid guitar work (he's joined by Clark Sommers on bass & Makaya McCraven on drums) on this ten-song gem. Tunes like "Blues Sketch" definitely bear out their title... super jazz, to be sure. The beauty of the trio's playing is that there's nothing rushed or forced... it sounds as though they're right there in your living room, playing it all... read more
Affinity Trio - Hindsight
by Nicholas F. Mondello, All About Jazz
4 1/2 STARS Experimentation in the instrumental makeup of jazz ensembles has been with us for decades. Groups such as Gerry Mulligan's piano-less ensemble and drummer-less groups such as those of Django Reinhardt, Roy Hargrove, and Marvin Stamm's fine "Inventions Trio" come to mind. The format of this terrific album is such that the drummer gets a much-needed respite. As such, each player—trumpeter, pianist, and bassist—is rendered... read more
John Stowell and Ulf Bandgren - Throop
by Hessel Fluitman, Jazzflits- Netherlands
John Stowell lives in Portland, Oregon and Ulf Bandgren in Gothenburg, Sweden. Both gentlemen met in Ithaca, New York and then Bandgren was invited by Stowell in 2010 to perform together at the Ballard jazz Festival in Seattle. The interplay between the two guitarists is exemplary. Over and over again, soloing and accompanying, they create a complete Orchestra. Most compositions are by Ulf Bandgren, but also contains a number by Stowell and one... read more
Corey Christiansen - Lone Prairie
by John Barron, The Jazz Word
Guitarist Corey Christiansen explores the rich melodic legacy of traditional American cowboy tunes, with a few of his originals, on Lone Prairie. Although Christiansen has an acclaimed past as a straight-ahead jazz guitarist and educator, he really is a stylistic chameleon with a blues-based foundation, authentic in a variety of settings. His use of chord melody and gliding lines on "Streets of Laredo" is as convincing as his rocked-out,... read more
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