Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Doug Scarborough - The Color of Angels
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
4-STARS The Color of Angels, an engaging album by trombonist Doug Scarborough's sextet, blends music with a jazz heart and Middle Eastern temperament. Scarborough, who teaches at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, has worked toward expanding the jazz idiom to encompass rhythms and harmonies from countries and regions not usually associated with the music.
The endeavor's fruits can be heard and appreciated on Angels, wherein... read more
Marc Seales - People & Places
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
5-STARS A Dream Album of People, Places, and Time: Marc Seales and Ernie Watts Deliver a Jazz Masterpiece for the Ages.
The title, and even the opening notes, of this album might initially evoke the laid-back sophistication of a Michael Franks project. And indeed, there is something unmistakably refined, almost architectural, about this collaboration. In an era when melodic clarity is too often sacrificed for trend or abstraction,... read more
Chad McCullough | Michal Vanoucek - The Sky Cries
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
Seattleite Chad McCullough enlists the help of Northwest stalwarts Mark Taylor, alto saxophone, Dave Captein, bass, and Matt Jorgenson, drums, in addition to European pianist Michael Vanoucek, on a selection of original material. McCullough and Vanoucek's writing encompasses varied moods, tempos and sonic nuances. All the players have shining solo opportunities, but McCullough's silvery tone stands out as something... read more
John McLean - Better Angels
by John Barron, All About Jazz.com
Guitarist/composer John McLean is an emerging musical voice for the 21st century. Steeped in tradition and propelled by contemporary influences, the Chicago-based musician sculpts an uncanny representation of an ever-widening American musical landscape. Better Angels, McLean's second release as a leader, is a stunning collection of original compositions and standards, featuring McLean's blistering guitar and his unconventional ensemble comprised... read more
Matt Jorgensen - Tattooed by Passion: Music inspired by the paintings of Dale Chisman
by Phillip McNally, Cadence Magazine
Finally drummer Matt Jorgensen leads a stellar 5tet on (4), and they work through an impressive series of compositions devoted to the painting of the late Dale Chisman. The nicely handled package displays several of the Chisman paintings which directly inspired Jorgensen, and makes listening to this set a programmatic experience. Trumpeter Thomas Marriott nearly steals the date, for he has a burnished perfect tone and a gentle lyric way with his... read more
Jessica Williams - Songs For A New Century
by Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes, July/August 2008
Songs For A New Century is an intensely personal real-time document. Jessica Williams composed all but one of the nine pieces, and recorded the album herself. She says in the liner notes that this solo album "is what I'm hearing and seeing now. ... This has been my life of late." It is about emerging from the grieving of the post-9/11 years and giving herself permission to hope again. (In musical terms, it is a broad transition from D... read more
Dominic J. Marshall - Spirit Speech
by Serge Julien, Cultuurpodium - Netherlands
Speech Spirit is the third album by pianist Dominic J. Marshall. The 25-year-old Scot gets one after another accolade from experts and enthusiasts. And for good reason, as his new album presents the musician in an unprecedented and artistic level of play that is full of influences.
Dominic J. Marshall studied classical piano for ten years under the watchful eye of his father. In 2010, Dominic decided to go to college, study jazz, and... read more
John McLean - Better Angels
by Forrest Dylan Bryant, JazzTimes
Eclecticism is the name of the game on this flowing contemporary set, as guitarist McLean tackles swing standards, gloomy pop songs and three speedy, pulse-quickening original tunes. Alternating a precise, silvery acoustic sound with a biting electric tone, McLean matches nicely with Grazyna Auguscik's sweetly ethereal, delicately accented vocals. Saxophonist Jim Gailloreto adds buoyancy to several tunes, while organist Karl Montzka lurks in the... read more
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