In the jazz world, recreating much of Ellington's repertoire can be a touchy subject. Some feel that what Ellington's bands created is so unique, that to revisit it would be akin to repainting the Sistine Chapel -- that some things are meant to stand alone, admired but untouched. When it comes to attempting to simply imitate these works, I would have to agree. On their recent release, Sacred Music of Duke Ellington, The Seattle Repertory Jazz... read more
Nnenna Freelon was in the middle of recording Time Traveler, her first new album in over a decade, when her husband of 40 years died from Lou Gehrig's disease in 2019 and it ended up becoming a tribute both to her partner and the R&B and pop of the '60s and '70s. The album gets off to an R&B-drenched start with
the Burt Bacharach-Hal David favorite "I Say a Little Prayer". Freelon's "Marvin Medley" is billed as a tribute to soul icon... read more
****
Ambivalence and shadowplay suffuse this intriguing album by Seattle-based piano guru Anschell. Jeff Coffin's querulous soprano saxophone launches the medium-tempo title track, one of the most conversational on this engaging CD. The soloists vary, but the qualities of surprise and confidence always figure here. In addition to originals spanning the piquant "Heisenberg's Fugue State" and "39F," a tricky exercise verging on pop,... read more
Sometimes we simply tilt our head and mutter, "where has this guy been hiding??" Rizzo is veteran of the Los Angeles jazz crowd, so why haven't we heard about him ... ever ... in any context. Well, go figure. You can catch him right here, and in the top rung company of LA greats including Bob Shepard, Bob Summers, Joe LaBarbera, Rich Eares and Tom Warrington. With arrangements by the trombonist on the date, Nick Lane, and the addition of a tuba... read more
Essence of Green is pianist/composer Ron Di Salvio's nod to the music created by Miles Davis and his sextet on the classic album, Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959). The sound that opens the album on "Six Shades of Green" is unmistakable: that elastic, slow-loping rhythm from Davis' "All Blues," with bassist Rodney Whitaker front-and-center here, backed by a simmering, just-a-hint ahead-of-the-beat drummer wielding the sticks with sublime subtlety... read more
Oh how I do love when a group manages to fuse a sense of danger into a set of pretty tunes. Recalling the talent of Clifford Jordan to bring together the roots of jazz and modern compositions, this quintet of tenor/soprano sax, trumpet, piano, double bass, and drums captures those same qualities for a very cool recording. It swings and it prowls, joyful but ready to fight. Modern straight-ahead, but imbued with the spiritual jazz of the sixties.... read more
Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century vocal music with lute or theorbo has been enjoying a modern renaissance as evidenced by the recent releases of Monika Mauch and Nigel North's Musical Banquet (ECM, 2008) and Nigel North's Dowland recordings for Naxos. This is period music that immediately evokes images such as those captured in Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth (William Morrow, 1989) and its sequel World Without End (Penguin, 2007). This is... read more
Come on in! The club is open for business! Have a seat one of the tables. The cocktail waitress will be with your shortly. Heads are bobbing and feet are tapping thanks to the swinging jazz of the Eric Jacobsen Quintet. The trumpeter is leading his top-shelf band through delightful post-bop changes that sound both fresh and like they are of another era. The band moves gracefully through its set as though they're playing on the Village Vanguard's... 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