Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
David Friesen and Glen Moore - Bactrian
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
Time and space can take nothing away from certain musical relationships. There are those on-and-off partnerships that flourish regardless of the frequency of encounters and years gone by, and this is clearly one of them.
The connection between bass masters David Friesen and Glen Moore goes back some five decades. It yielded two previous duo recordings - In Concert (Vanguard, 1977) and Returning (Burnside, 1993) - and it continues to bear... read more
John Moulder - Trinity
by Jim Santella, Cadence, December 2006
John Moulder fills "Trinity" with a program of originals that blend contemporary grooves with tradition. His guitar lights fires along the way, as he shares solo space with various guests. Moulder enjoys Smooth Jazz as much as Free Jazz and other creative pursuits. While his focus leans towards ballad interpretation, the session includes implied Blues and surging Rock elements that coax the spirit toward higher ground. Currently serving on the... read more
Jessica Williams - Songs For A New Century
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
She's a little bit late to release songs intended to kick off a new century, but Jessica Williams can be forgiven that as her music more than makes up for it. The album is actually titled as it is in celebration of Williams' emergence from a low time following the 9/11 attacks, and as such has a fairly upbeat tone throughout the proceedings. Aside from a stray Sonny Rollins composition (which Williams treats masterfully as a blues romp with some... read more
Geof Bradfield - Our Roots
by Hobart Taylor, KUCI, Irvine, CA
This tribute to the blues... not the Chicago macho variety, but the deeply spiritual Texas blues of Leadbelly and Blind Willie Johnson is celebrated by the likes of tenor saxophonist Bradfield, trumpeter Marquis Hill, Joel Adams on trombone, Clark Sommers, bassist, and Dana Hall, drums and percussion. I mention them all because this a truly an ensemble, a communion of spirits bringing their own individual talents to stellar performances of... read more
Ben Thomas Tango Project - Eternal Aporia
by Angela Ballhorn, Jazz'n'More (Switzerland)
Sometimes life takes strange paths with you, Ben Thomas would not have thought 15 years ago that his passion for tango dancing and the resulting interest in music would lead him to this tango project. Thomas lays down melodies and rhythms in his compositions on both the vibraphone and the bandoneon, his melodic companions on the violin and clarinet play along enchantingly, while the bass sets clear rhythmic accents. All the elements of tango are... read more
Hal Galper / Reggie Workman / Rashied Ali - Art-Work
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Hal Galper's recordings always have an adventurous spirit, and the live CD Art-Work is no exception. The veteran pianist, joined by bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Rashid Ali (both veterans of John Coltrane's bands, though not at the same time), launches into a furious exploration of Duke Ellington's simple riff blues "Take the Coltrane," though Galper incorporates dissonance into the introduction and quickly builds steam as he takes the... read more
George Colligan & Theoretical Planets - Risky Notion
by Matthias Kirsch, Gina Love Jazz (Berlin)
George Colligan, the pianist who has worked with everyone from Phil Woods to Cassandra Wilson, from Nicholas Payton to Vanessa Rubin, or from Gary Bartz to Don Byron, also plays trumpet, organ, and drums. And his latest album "Risky Notion" is where you can hear him solely playing the latter. With his group, the Theoretical Planets, he has come up with 10 original compositions, all drum-heavy and percussive, with the leader clearly in the... read more
Dana Hall - Into the Light
by John Barron, All About Jazz
Chicago-based drummer Dana Hall makes his debut as a leader with Into the Light, a provocative quintet recording featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford, saxophonist Tim Warfield, Jr., pianist Bruce Barth, and bassist Rodney Whitaker.
Herbie Hancock's "I Have a Dream" opens the session with an explosive punch. Hall's uncompromising intensity makes clear exactly who is leading the date. Along with Barth's punchy Fender Rhodes comping, the drummer... read more
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