Chris Walden is an adventurous soul. He has made a strong presence in the Los Angeles big band scene with several albums of straight ahead big band music, yet he has tackled non-traditional pop music for big band arrangements of Disney's When You Wish Upon a Star, and It's a Small World After All. On his first big band effort, (2005's Home of My Heart, also on Origin Records), Walden took on film noir in a three-part suite, as well as the theme... read more
Chad McCullough, with one CD under his own name - the outstanding Dark Wood, Dark Water (Origin Records, 2009) - has also contributed his distinctive voice to recordings by the Kora Band and Tunnel Six, all under the Origin Records banners. But the Seattle-based trumpeter must have a European sensibility; his finest work to date has been in teaming, as co-leader, with artists from the other side of the Atlantic - Slovakian pianist Michal... read more
Consisting of Mattan Klein/fl, Eqequiel Hezi Jait/g, Itay Simhovich/p-key, Assaf Hakimi/b and Dani Benedikt/dr-perc, the band Zurhub gracefully bops and swings through an album of lithe originals. There's a nice collection of sambas and bossas that have Klein blowing like a summer breeze over Jait's strums on "Feliz" and" Bat Ya'Am" while "Overlooked" has him cascading like a gentle waterfall. Benedikt digs in with Simhovich's keys and a funky... read more
In ons land wordt aan jazz sowieso te weinig aandacht besteed, maar aan wie moeten we dan aandacht besteden is dan al snel de vraag. En dat is makkelijk te beantwoorden met de naam Piet Verbist. Piet Verbist is een contrabassist uit het Antwerpse die vooral bekend is geworden met zijn rol in het Jef Neve Trio en het label Contour dat hij oprichtte. Het was op dat label dat hij de eerste releases (Blue Saga en It's Gone) van het Jef Neve Trio... read more
4-STARS Bassist Rodney Whitaker grew out of the Detroit jazz tradition, paying dues along the way on the road with the likes of Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis and Kenny Garrett. His hard-driving style personifies modern post-bop jazz, with his dedication to tradition acting as a catalyst rather than a deterrent from innovation.
On Outrospection, Whitaker continues his work with under-the-radar, Michigan composer... read more
Via features a more experienced British musician, saxophonist Tim Garland, working together as a trio with American pianist Keezer and vibes layer Locke, as they did a decade earlier. I've seen this group compared to the team of Gary Burton and Chick Corea, but of course there was no saxophone in that group. Garland adds an extra drive to the formal prettiness that Keezer and Locke set up whether he is dancing ceside them on soprano sax or... read more
In live performance the radiant Dee Daniels swings, grooves and dips into gospel edges from a core of warmth. Daniels delivers songs with uniquely relaxed humor, enveloping each audience member in a powerful sonic embrace. Her new album, Intimate Conversations (Origin) is a series of tight duos executed with eight jazz veterans, three of whom - Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Martin Wind (bass) and Ted Brancato (piano) - will be appearing... read more
Not only is Joel Miller indeed among the most formidable tenormen of Montreal but he proves one of our best composers and more open minded leaders. That at least is what is observed since the late 90s : Find A Way (1996), Playgrounds (1998) , Sky Beneath My Feet (1999) , And Then Everything Started to Look Different (2001) , Mandala ( 2004) , Tantramar (2008) and the new Swim which will be played... 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