Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Nanami Haruta - The Vibe
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)
5-STARS What a surprise is the debut album "The Vibe" by trombonist Nanami Haruta (*2001), which she recorded with her teacher, trombonist and baritone saxophonist Michael Dease (*1982), and a first-class rhythm section featuring Xavier Davis (p), Rodney Whitaker (db), and Ulysses Owens Jr. (dr), and which is reminiscent of the albums by the trombone duo J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding. The album's eleven tracks present Haruta and Dease in... read more
Scenes - Variable Clouds: Live at the Earshot Jazz Festival
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
4-STARS - The group Scenes has released seven excellent albums over two decades of recording together, beginning with their eponymous debut (Origin Records, 2001). All of those are studio efforts. The group's 2022 outing, Variable Clouds is a first for Scenes—their first album recorded live in front of an audience, in 2021 at the Earshot Jazz Festival.
This is a return to the group's original line-up. Saxophonist Rick Mandyck sat out... read more
Jordan VanHemert - Survival of the Fittest
by Larry Hollis, Cadence Magazine
For VanHemert's newest recorded effort, producer Michael Dease has assembled a crack combo that should ring a few bells among regular readers. Joining the two other horns are the same names that graced Sharel Cassity's recent Sunnyside disc reviewed in the last issue of this mag. Also present is the same drummer along with Helen Sung and Rodney Whitaker rounding out the solid underpinning. The leader has a handful of discs out and while he's... read more
John Wojciechowski - Focus
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Chicago has it's own brand of skronk and this set with a a stellar Chicago crew in tow might not sound like Sonny Rollins playing under a bridge but he certainly knows how to deliver the goods. Using mainstream jazz as a starting point rather than a destination, he marshals his chops to bring listeners into the tent and keep them on board. A tasty collective effort that hits all the right notes with loads of daddio and modern in the mix, Wojo... read more
John Stowell & Dan Dean - Rain Painting
by Frank Kohl, Cadence
One of the most original and innovative guitarists on the scene today would have to be John Stowell. A true pioneer in methods of playing and composing he stands alone in a sea of guitarists. John's latest release "Rain Painting" gives voice to the intricacies of his compositional skills. Joined by bassist, vocalist and master recording engineer, Dan Dean, John's originals are brought to their full potential. I am swept away by the clarity and... read more
The Spin Quartet - In Circles
by Carol Banks Weber, AXS
Take a classically inclined, modern jazz technician in Seattle and put him together with some visiting superstar guest artists - his Chicago heroes. Makes for a can't-miss series of Western Washington concerts this month, especially if the heroes in question are Kobie Watkins, Clark Sommers, and Geof Bradfield, the best in the business.
Drummer Watkins can double-down with finesse and groove. He'd better. He's Sonny Rollins' main guy.... read more
Paul Ricci - The Path
by David R. Adler, JazzTimes
Paul Ricci is a wonderful player — not pyrotechnic, supremely tasteful, rhythmically and harmonically adept, with a warm, clean tone that makes The Path a beauty to listen to. Finished in stages across many years, the album features electric bass maestro Anthony Jackson, who has since passed — so rock-solid and distinctively creative on everything he touched. His presence and that of drummer Steve Jordan and percussionist Manolo Badrena... read more
New York Voices - Reminiscing in Tempo
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
4-STARS Time flies, so why shouldn't New York Voices revel in that passage on life's jet stream? Reminiscing In Tempo marks the celebrated vocal quartet's 30th anniversary in style, presenting a dozen performances delivered with imaginative flair. The arrangements and vocals, not surprisingly, are airtight, and the joy in the music is palpable.
Demonstrating mastery of an idiom too often ignored, the Voices put their magnetic pipes... read more
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