If there were a lifetime achievement award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition, this veteran West Coast pianist would have it in her criminally modest trophy case. Her sixth disc for the Origin label supposedly differs from the others for its heavy emphasis on spontaneous composition, with the material culled from live solo performances over the past few years at the Triple Door in Seattle, near her home. But just as Williams has... read more
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, City Life, from Michael Dease and it's super. Opening with Willow Walks In, Michael Dease outlines the melody on trombone, backed by Linda May Han Oh on bass Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. Dease really is stellar on trombone stretching the track and Oh and Watts expand the palette nicely for a terrific opener. With a driving bass line by Oh, Dease creates a sonic environment on Movie... read more
Wander into the parking lot of a high school marching band field tournament, through a labyrinth school buses and picnic tables, into throngs of young musicians - teenagers in small packs cruising on foot, gossiping, flirting, maybe throwing a football around as a cold November dusk settles in - and there always seems to be a backdrop of percussion, impromptu practice sessions, the marimbas and the vibraphones ringing out. It's a sound that... read more
This is the second CD of Friesen with his current Circle 3 Trio with Friesen on bass, Greg Goebel, on piano, and Charlie Doggett on drums, with all the music created by David Friesen, almost seventy minutes of creative improvisation.
This trio plays around the Portland, Oregon area (when Friesen is not on international or national tour or instructional events) with regular weekly gigs, and they have a tight sound, are well aware of each... read more
The 100 Best Albums of 2009
Hal Galper joins John Coltrane's final rhythm section (bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Rashied Ali) for a jazz piano trio concert that never loses its pell-mell tumbling momentum even as it stretches the harmonies of tunes by Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Galper himself into shapes the composers never dreamed... read more
New Stories: Hope Is In The Air: The Music of Elmo Hope. Marc Seales, bassist Doug Miller and Origin's drummer proprietor, John Bishop, are the New Stories trio. The less famous peer of Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, Hope was a splendid pianist who left an impressive body of compositions. Three of them, "Dee-Dah," "Bellarosa" and "Carving the Rock," are familiar to many through an early Clifford Brown recording. Seales's playing is less spikey,... read more
Pianist Ben Paterson leads his marvelous trio through a very nicely varied set of standards, originals, and modern covers on this, his first album on organ. The title track is a re-envisioning of a 1970s soul classic as a jazz waltz that segues into a gospel shout; his take on "Cry Me a River" is gorgeous, his version of Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is witty and insightful. At all points he sounds as if he's been playing the... read more
Consider the tenuous realm of multiple basses in music. To this point, brave subterranean-minded souls have sought such settings in all shapes and sizes, and most genres — be it chamber-written pieces, recordings with a host of bassists' parts flown in, or all-star jams at bass events. The outcomes have varied from deep rivers of rich vibrations to, as one top bassist put it, "Sounding like a herd of elephants trying to fit through a doorway... 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