Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Richard Sussman - Continuum
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
When CDs contain mostly or exclusively original music, I look for one primary characteristic. If I can't find it, the CD is usually not a prime candidate for review. It's as simple as...a well-defined melody. If that's old-fashioned, so be it. But I lose my sense of direction when I can't discern a melody as a foundation for the improvisation which follows. I know nothing of Richard Sussman other than he's probably a New Yorker (judging from the... read more
Scenes - Along the Way
by John Kelman, All About Jazz
It's easier to impress listeners with virtuosity than subtlety and nuance, but thankfully there are those who take the road less traveled. Along the Way, the second release by Scenes, is the result of three musicians being comfortable in their own skins and having nothing to prove. The vibe may be relaxed and the delivery spacious, but this music proves that one should never mistake comfort for complacency.
Guitarist John Stowell has had a... read more
Benjamin Boone - Caught in the Rhythm
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'n'More (Switzerland)
For a decade now, the saxophonist and composer Benjamin Boone has successfully dedicated himself to combining works by contemporary poets with jazz compositions from his own pen. The collaboration with the award-winning poet Philip Levine in The Poetry of Jazz Volume Two (posthumous 2018) and The Poets Are Gathering (2020), both released by the Origin label, were particularly successful.
Now he is following up with an album... read more
Gregg Keplinger / Reuben Radding / Daniel Carter - Language
by Dave Nathan, All About Jazz
Seattle's Origin label has pretty much kept its releases within the realm of modern mainstream jazz, now dips its toe into the free jazz/avant garde pool with Language. Featuring Daniel Carter on alto, Rueben Radding on bass and Gregg Keplinger on a set of very busy drums, the trio works through more than 50 minutes of music not designed for the timid listener. Made up of all original compositions, the set kicks off with a passionate "Speak... read more
Piet Verbist - Secret Exit to Another Dimension
by Bernard Lefèvre, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
For this new trio, double bassist Piet Verbist invited fellow players Hendrik Braeckman and Lionel Beuvens, who were already familiar to him. They each deliver original compositions, supplemented with 'Cheryl' by Charlie Parker and 'Pannonica' by Monk.
'Secret Exit To Another Dimension' refers to Verbist's state of mind to find a way out and he wants to express this in this music, in which the image was inspired by street art in Molenbeek by... read more
Ryan Cohan - Originations
by Editor, Musica Terre (Japan)
Ryan Cohan , a pianist/composer from Chicago in the United States who continues to create unique jazz that incorporates rhythms and scales from all over the world , is the first new album in 7 years "Originations" . It is a fascinating piece of music that is elaborately performed by a 11-person formation consisting of a piano, bass, drums, Middle Eastern percussion instrument, wind instrument, and even string quartet.
Ryan Cohan has been... read more
Benjamin Boone with the Ghana Jazz Collective - Joy
by Chris M. Slawecki, All About Jazz
4-STARS Benjamin Boone's set with this band born and grown in Ghana is a genuine cross-cultural jazz Joy.
The seeds of Joy were planted when composer-saxophonist Boone spent a year as a US Fulbright Scholar in Ghana in sabbatical from his professorship at California State University (Fresno), to study the country's music and musical traditions. The music Boone found made him feel at home: "These guys know American jazz inside and... read more
ZurHub - Countryside Motorways
by George Harris, Jazz Weekly
Consisting of Mattan Klein/fl, Eqequiel Hezi Jait/g, Itay Simhovich/p-key, Assaf Hakimi/b and Dani Benedikt/dr-perc, the band Zurhub gracefully bops and swings through an album of lithe originals. There's a nice collection of sambas and bossas that have Klein blowing like a summer breeze over Jait's strums on "Feliz" and" Bat Ya'Am" while "Overlooked" has him cascading like a gentle waterfall. Benedikt digs in with Simhovich's keys and a funky... read more
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