Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
David Friesen - A Light Shining Through
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The multi-instrumentalist David Friesen is joined by some excellent players for nods to the '70s thanks to these 16 organic and emotive songs.
"Little Ella Bella" starts the listen with Friesen's Hemage bass alongside Joe Manis' tenor sax and Alex Fantaev's percussion for the uniquely rhythmic opener, and "Time Through Light" follows with Friesen handling percussion alongside the sax from Manis that emits much warmth.
Further along,... read more
Rodney Whitaker - Outrospection: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Cedric Hendrix, CirdecSongs
Bassist Rodney Whitaker is both a highly talented instrumentalist and the director of Michigan State University's Jazz program. He and his band (made up mostly of fellow Michigan State faculty members) bring marvelous life to the work of Lansing, Michigan composer Gregg Hill. The band's (quartets and quintets) instrumentals swing hard, riveting the listener from Note One. When vocalist Rockelle Whitaker brings her vocals to the mix on four... read more
Josh Nelson - Exploring Mars
by Hobart Taylor, KUCI, Irvine, CA
A concept album that begins with a jazz bed under a reading from Ray Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles" and continues with a variety of styles to evoke mental images and imaginings of the "red planet". I like the offbeat ballad "How I Loved You on Mars", the Metheny like "Sojourner","Memnonia Quadrangle", a guitar meditation, and "Spirit" A reprise of the first cut without the Bradbury narration and with a fine trumpet... read more
Bobby Broom - Bobby Broom Plays for Monk
by Jeff Krow, Audiophile Audition
For Bobby Broom's third CD for Origin Records, he has chosen to tackle the iconic Thelonious Monk, in a guitar trio setting. The CD song list is made up of eight Monk compositions and two standards - Lulu's Back in Town, and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - that were an occasional part of Monk's repertoire.
Broom's simpatico with his trio has been built up from years of playing with Carroll and Watkins. Watkins can up the ante and inspire Bobby when... read more
Peter Erskine & the JAM Music Lab All-Stars - Bernstein in Vienna
by Gary Walker, WBGO Feature (NYC)
Leonard Bernstein created with a palette with colors from jazz, blues and popular music, shaping a classical sound that attracted fans from around the world. The Vienna-based Jam Music Lab All-Stars, under the direction of pianist Danny Grissett, and special guest, drummer Peter Erskine, saluted Bernstein in performance, captured here. It's a new Bernstein shine, with the collective working through "Somewhere," "Lonely Town," "Cool" and more,... read more
Hal Galper - Live at the Berlin Philharmonic, 1977
by Herb Boyd, Downbeat
5-STARS "Live" is the operative word of Hal Galper Quintet's Live At The Berlin Philharmonic, 1977. No matter what track you choose, the results are the same—exhilarating. Pianist Galper's dazzling runs are often complemented by his punchy pointillism, and this is particularly engrossing on "I'll Never Stop Loving You." Galper alone is stunning enough, but add Michael and Randy Brecker and you have the coup de grace; the... read more
Clarence Penn - Monk: The Lost Files
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Drummer Clarence Pann shows some guts by not only tackling the Thelonious Monk Songbook, but using a tenor saxist (Chad Lefkowitz-Brown) that sounds alarmingly like Monk teammate Charles Rouse. Except for the use of a Rhodes keyboard by Gerald Clayton on "I Mean You", the rest of the songs are with an acoustic piano, so you can't help but make comparisons with the original. "I Mean You" comes off the best, as it's the most variant,... read more
Anthony Branker and Ascent - Together
by Ken Dryden, All Music
Anthony Branker's recordings with his group Ascent have followed a familiar format, utilizing a small group to interpret his originals. For this 2012 recording, he replaces piano with Fender Rhodes, played by Jonny King (a veteran of several earlier Branker CDs), tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen and bassist Kenny Davis (both of whom have played on several Branker releases as well), alto and soprano saxophonist Mark Gross, and drummer Donald... read more
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