The flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny takes the company of Charles McNeal (tenor, soprano sax), Bill Anschell (piano), Phil Sparks (bass) and Mark Ivester (drums) for this timeless and exciting jazz affair.
The title track opens the listen with warm keys and soothing brass, as a very warm spirit enters the graceful climate, and "On A Misty Night" follows with playful bass and bright flugelhorn making for a crisp and dynamic album... read more
Another jazz project with a strong message, the sixth album with the noted pianist/composer leading concentrates on honoring the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa. Grant - who has worked with Betty Carter, Tony Williams and Roy Haynes - calls this double disc his dream project. He has assembled some top sidemen and varies the 16 tracks among piano trio, quartet, quintet and settings for his vocals on some of the tracks. In addition, he... read more
Last July, as Chicago guitarist John Moulder was preparing for a two-night run at the Green Mill Jazz Club, veteran Chicago recording engineer Ken Christianson offered to record the sessions.
Moulder didn't hesitate, even though he would be performing with the creative young Chicago saxophonist Geof Bradfield for the first time. With pianist Jim Trompeter, bassist Larry Gray and drummer Paul Wertico ? all longtime Moulder collaborators ?... read more
From the very first listen, The Road to Trantor feels like a time machine. For those who lived through the 1970s, the echoes are unmistakable, a return to the lush, exploratory sound world of progressive pop and early fusion, when synthesizers were not just instruments but portals to the future. The keyboard textures here recall a lineage that began with the Mini Moog and continued through the Yamaha DX7 and Roland Juno, instruments that shaped... read more
Some of you might remember Dan Heck as the talented guitarist in Seattle's Bebop And Destruction. Well, B&D went their separate ways (amiably), and Dan went the furthest; now he's based in Florida. However, on this CD he reacquaints with a couple of Seattle pals in Thomas Marriott on trumpet and Jose Martinez on drums. Rounding out the quintet are Stuart Shelton on piano and Rick Doll on bass. As the title suggests, the tunes are all Dan Heck... read more
Playing bandoneon as well as vibes and percussion, Ben Thomas takes the ideas of Astor Piazzolla to the next level with a mix of sophistication and warmth on this album of originals. Teamed with Eric Likkel/cl, Ste4ve Schermer/b, Laura Coronel-Elizabeth Phelps/vi and Gabe Hall-Rodrigues/p Thomas puts the "nuovo" in "Tango Nuovo" with the fingers prancing on the dramatic "The Second Brick" and creating eerie long shadows on the visceral "Valley... read more
Sometimes success is a by product of simple chemistry. The members of drummer Scott�Neumann's Neu3 Trio don't boast the largest profiles in jazz. Neither do they arrive with lofty concepts about the way the music should change. Indeed, Blessed makes its mark by betting the farm on two of jazz's bedrock elements: grace and rigor. Neumann�enlists saxophonist Michael Blake and bassist Mark Helias for this date, and the loose-limbed trio... read more
A flugelhorn player that has earned his spurs as an arranger and conductor while laboring in the vineyards for a long time for cats as disparate as Dave Liebman and Bob Brookmeyer, he knows his jazz and thanks those long gone for the music that inspired him as well as those still around that taught him. Not nearly a kid and playing like an adult, this is sitting down big band listening music that'll have you bobbing your head and tapping your... 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