Nice live set from a sax-guitar-bass-drums quartet. Zilber's effusive attitude on sax matches well with Stowell's tastefulness on guitar. Plenty to like on this straight-ahead modern jazz... read more
The rain-slicked streetcorner tableau on the album cover of the Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra's latest release Without a Trace - streaming at Bandcamp - Is truth in advertising. In recent years the group have taken a turn into moody, brassy latin-inspired sounds, something they excel at. They're at Dizzy's Club on Sept 3, with sets at 7:30 and 9:30. Cover is steep - $35 - but like most A-list large jazz ensembles not named the Maria... read more
4 1/2 STARS - BEST ALBUMS OF 2023 Drummer John Bishop, the guy who runs Seattle's Origin Records, does not often put out records under his own name. There was Nothing If Not Something (Origin Records) in 2005, review here, and then nothing until the disc at hand, 2023's Antwerp. Not that Bishop has avoided the recording studio. He is, as a sideman, in fact quite prolific, sitting in on Hal Galper's string of... read more
Like many musicians, Black Hills native Tad Britton displayed his talents early in life. In fact, one title for his autobiography could be, "From Spoons to Snare Drums: The Journey of Jazz Drummer Tad Britton."
As a toddler growing up in Sturgis, Britton's "daycare center" was his grandmother's house, where she would set pots and pans and a couple wooden spoons on the floor for the young boy to blissfully bang upon for hours on end.
"It was... read more
Recording artist, composer/arranger, drummer, bandleader and educator, Ted Moore is based in Berkeley, CA, and is the leader of The Ted Moore Trio. The trio, which consists of Ted on drums along with Phil Markowitz (The Sax Summit Band) on piano and Kai Eckhardt (John McLaughlin) on bass, has just completed its first recording project at the famed Skywalker Sound studio in Marin County, CA, consisting of all original compositions and... read more
The Bridge Quartet is another of the many fine groups to have started in the Pacific Northwest.
Drummer Alan Jones, a Portland, Ore., native, has been involved with several other excellent combos over the years, and he was the catalyst for this organization. He's joined by Canadian saxophonist Phil Dwyer; bassist Tom Wakeling; and pianist Darrell Grant, another Portland mainstay.
These guys hooked up over a weekend, planning to play a club... read more
It's amazing that out of the clutter of an industrial urban center like Chicago, a voice as serene and unruffled as Alison Ruble's can exist. For her debut recording, the opulent vocalist teams up with guitarist extraordinaire/producer John McLean for an intriguing journey through a collection of timeless American classics.
The song selection, a mix of standard jazz fare and modern pop numbers, seems to suit Ruble's understated approach.... read more
Pianist/composer Giberson is elegant and eloquent, both on his own charming earworms, but also on a jazz reworking of elder Joseph Brackett's Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts". He is joined by Donny McCaslin on various reed instruments, and occasionally a string quartet.... 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