Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John Stowell | Michael Zilber - Live Beauty
by Hobart Taylor, KUCI, Irvine, CA
Saxes (Zilber), guitars (Stowell) and a rhythm section play airy melodic mainstream jazz with spacey elements in this live recording from the Bay Area. Traditional improvisational moves and sequential solos abound. Always interesting (says I damning with faint praise), the performances really take off during "Quantum Theory", "Stowell What", a deconstructed "My Funny Valentine", and a John Scofield tune "Wabash... read more
Jim Gailloreto Jazz String Quintet - The Pythiad
by Daniel Kepl, Performing Arts Review
Gailloreto's refreshingly original jazz suite imagines gods and heroes getting their beads read by the Oracle of Delphi
Chicago-based composer and jazz saxophonist Jim Gailloreto hit on the idea for his latest CD during a gig at the Getty Villa in Santa Monica a few years back. The Villa is itself a replica of an ancient Roman country house. Statues of gods, emperors, statesmen and heroes haunt the place, conjuring a time of... read more
Western Jazz Collective - Dark Journey: The Music of Andrew Rathbun
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Subtitled "The Music of Andrew Rathburn", this album brings together a collection of musical journeys by composer, reed man and band member Andrew Rathbun, played alongside Scott Cowan/tp, Greg Jasperse/voc, Matt Landon/g, Matthew Fries/p, John Hebert/b, Keith Hall/dr and guest Kevin Jones/perc. The 9 pieces have a wide range of moods, with each song a rich journey in themselves, Rathbun's tenor sways with Landon on the deep groove of "Different... read more
Brent Jensen w/ Bill Anschell, Jeff Johnson, John Bishop - One More Mile
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
For his fifth Origin release, Brent Jensen includes some of the main Origin stable stars as members of his quartet, which shows off some impressive sensitivity to the music, with both classic pieces and new compositions from the bandmembers. Jensen continues his trademark relaxed sound on the soprano sax, pulling just the right notes out where he wants them. Drummer John Bishop largely stays in the background, but can come forward as called for... read more
Ira Sullivan & Stu Katz - A Family Affair - Live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
At the Otter Crest Jazz Weekend, I once had the amazing experience of witnessing Sullivan alternate between brassy things and reedy things. The only other guy I can think of who plays trumpet and saxophones really well is Seattle's Jay Thomas. Many remember Sullivan from a lengthy partnership with trumpeter Red Rodney. But live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase in his native Chicago, Sullivan rekindles a boyhood friendship with vibist Stu Katz. To... read more
Toby Koenigsberg - Sense
by Birney K. Brown, Audiophile Audition
To summarize this 2006 release first: This is an absolutely superb piano trio delivering a magnificent program. I've listened to this disc numerous times, both on my dedicated home system and in the car. One of my first impressions was how well the group was captured by the engineer. I then noticed that the HDCD indicator light was glowing on my DAC. Although there is no indication in the packaging, this CD is HDCD encoded. One needs not... read more
Hadley Caliman | Pete Christlieb - Reunion
by Carlo Wolff, JazzTimes
This was Haley Caliman's last recording before his death of liver cancer in September. Recorded with his old friend and fellow tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb in November 2009, it finds Caliman in high spirits and full of energy. It's a very good mainstream jazz album featuring that comforting stalwart, the tenor battle. The styles of the two, who hadn't recorded together since they worked in Los Angeles' Central Avenue jazz scene in the... read more
Phil Kelly & The SW Santa Ana Winds - My Museum
by John Tapscott, amazon.com
A certain strain of modern big band jazz writing has emerged over the past quarter century which is incredibly detailed, complex and sometimes awe-inspiring. Yet it often lacks warmth and memorable melodies, and nearly creates a barrier between the music and the average jazz listener. Thankfully, composer/arranger Phil Kelly, while not simplifying his music at all, has chosen another route. His music, as evidenced by the 2006 recording "My... read more
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