Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Chuck Deardorf - Transparence
by Pierre Giroux, Audiophile Audition
Some interesting contrasts and top-notch playing.
The latest CD issued by Seattle resident bassist Chuck Deardorf, entitled "Transparence", is a bit of a mash-up but in a good way. Bringing together a number of dependable musicians from the North West, along with several high profile visitors, these sides were recorded between 2007 and 2010 and present Deardorf and friends in a variety of settings and musical styles.
Given the... read more
Brad Goode - Polytonal Dance Party
by John Frederick Moore, Jazziz
Trumpeter Brad Goode pulls a neat trick with this disc. He's taken a deliberately difficult approach to composing and arranging, then makes it sound fun rather than academic or pretentious. These 11 tracks contain enough polytonal harmonies to make a modernist-classical composer proud, but as the title suggests, you can danced to the music, as well.
Goode's method is most noticeable in his covers, especially on the '70s soul classic "Betcha... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - No Bounds
by Edward Blanco, ejazznews
No Bounds is an enchanting and absolutely riveting big band release from German composer/arranger, Chris Walden, a two-time Grammy Award nominee for his previous album, Home of My Heart. This recording has a decidedly Disney musical theme as Walden includes three big band orchestrations of the Disney songs, "When You Wish Upon A Star," "Some Day My Prince Will Come," and the familiar "It's A Small World After All."
When listening to this... read more
Emma Larsson - Sing To the Sky
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
New York vocalist Emma Larsson made a splash with her 2010 sophomore effort Let It Go (Imogena). She has populated her recordings with predominantly well-envisioned original compositions, seasoning the album sequence with standards specifically chosen to meld with her unique sound. Her repertoire choice is eclectic without being eccentric.
On her present Sing to the Sky, Larsson reveals her fortitude by covering "Here's to... read more
Benjamin Boone | Philip Levine - The Poetry of Jazz
by Editor, The Jazz Duck
School is in again, so I finally feel inclined to consider this most academic of contemporary jazz endeavors, which has been in my inbox for a while now. Though it hearkens back to '50s and '60s poetry-and-jazz products involving Jack Kerouac and various California "cool school" players, or Langston Hughes and Mingus, the context of this record is much more, let's say, establishmentarian: Levine was Poet Laureate during the Obama era, and... read more
Kim Richmond / Clay Jenkins Ensemble - CrossWeave
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Altoist Kim Richmond and his co-leader, trumpeter Clay Jenkins, contributed six of the nine songs to this sextet session. The originals and the improvisations are very harmonically advanced and thick with chords, while still swinging. The underrated tenor saxophonist Rich Perry takes many creative solos, as does Richmond, Jenkins, and pianist Harold Danko. While none of the originals are destined to become standards in the future, the music is... read more
Alison Ruble - This Is A Bird
by Michael Bonnard, CD Hotlist: Baker & Taylor
A surprising debut! Ruble sounds like a well-seasoned performer with a voice that is uncannily happy and mournful at the same time. She covers standard Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, and Rodgers/Hammerstein material as well as James Taylor. A versatile performer with a great band behind her. Hope for more in the future. Highly recommended.... read more
Jaiman Crunk - Encounters
by Scott Yanow, scottyanow.com
Part of a musical family, guitarist Jaiman Crunk grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, spent years living in Europe, and is now based in Seattle. Encounters is his recording debut and it is a particularly impressive effort for Crunk, both as a guitarist and as a composer.
The personnel and instrumentation change from song-to-song on Encounters. But although many all-stars are scattered throughout the eight selections, the program has a... read more
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