Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Trio East - Best Bets
by Ed Trefzger, JazzWeek
A WORKING GROUP since 2001, the "power trio" of Clay Jenkins on trumpet, Jeff Campbell on bass and Rich Thompson on drums keeps a regular Thursday gig a few blocks from the Eastman School of Music where all are on the faculty. The absence of piano on this understated CD of mostly originals and a few uniquely arranged standards provides plenty of space for Jenkins' smouldering but clear trumpet, Campbell's driving bottom end and Thompson's... read more
Charlie Ballantine - East by Midwest
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
4 STARS
A bracing guitar/bass/drums trio outing from guitarist Charlie Ballantine, East by Midwest, sounds as if it was recorded in a large, high-ceilinged warehouse with a cement floor, that floor buffed into the next dimension to a high polish, this giving the music a beautiful resonance. Retro? Think Link Wray or Dick Dale and The Deltones. Modernistic? Think John Abercrombie on some of his early ECM Records efforts. Or... read more
Benjamin Boone - Caught in the Rhythm
by Dr. Debra Jan Bibel, Amazon
Benjamin Boone continues his lauded project of uniting poetry with jazz. After the two volumes of The Poetry of Jazz, featuring the poems and narration of Laureate Philip Levine, followed by A Gathering of Poets, 11 narrating their own often dark and angry social commentary, he presents his most interesting, expansive, and musical combinations that Boone himself regards as his best. Again, no text of the poems are provided, forcing the listener... read more
Hal Galper - O's Time
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
It's hard to be innovative in the piano trio format. The last big change happened in the late fifties and early sixties, with pianist Bill Evans' groundbreaking trio featuring bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. The democratization of input and interplay changed the trio game, and countless groups have worked on refining that Evans approach ever since. A more recent development has been bombast and the inclusion of rock and popular... read more
Marius Nordal - Boomer Jazz
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Society
Marius Nordal is one of those virtuoso pianists who can spin you around in your chair and make you rue the day you ever started taking piano lessons. I know this to be true because I own his first two albums for Origin, and I've heard his Tatum-esque exploits on both. He has complete command of the piano, and you can't reign him in, so don't try. And, by the way, it's all very musical and lots of fun! This time around, Nordal tackles the music... read more
Michael Waldrop - Native Son
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Drummer Michael Waldrop explores deep and exciting grooves with percussionist Jose Rossy joining in with his team of Martin Gjakonovski/b (and cameo work with Chris Symer) and Vasil Hadzimanov/p for a collection of mostly originals. The grooves simmer on the jungle pulse of "Native Son", with Hadzimanov sparkling over the galloping joy of rhythm. Waldrop brings a soulful shuffle to the driving " El Vino" and a simmering sizzle to "Belgrade" with... read more
Ben Patterson - Push the Limits
by Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
As the title suggests, trombonist Ben Patterson does not really break through all boundaries on his latest CD, but the way in which he knows how to alternate swing and bop and seamlessly merge them into each other commands respect.
An extremely colorful program that he wrote together for a combination of guitar, keys, bass, drums and trombone. Thanks to the impulses of guitarist Shawn Purcell, everything regularly shifts responsibly towards... read more
Metropolitan Jazz Octet - The Bowie Project
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
It could very well be, that like Joni Mitchell, David Bowie could be the source of material for jazz artists, if this recent album by the Metropolitan Jazz Octet is any evidence. The woodwind team of John Kornegay, Jim Gailloreto and Peter Brusen, along with Doug Scharf/tp-fh and Russ Phillips, mix with pianists Bob Sutter-Ben Lewis, vibist Mike Freman, bssis Doug Bistrow and drummer Bob Rummage to support the rich and Kurt Ellingish... read more
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