Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Upper Left Trio - Three
by John Barron, All About Jazz.com
Occasionally, in the midst of media-hyped young lions re-creating and staking claim to past innovations, a jazz recording will emerge that nurtures the essence of tradition with openness and candor. Such engaging qualities can be heard on Three, the third release from Portland, Oregon's Upper Left Trio, featuring pianist Clay Giberson, drummer Charlie Doggett and bassist Jeff Leonard.
Three is characterized by unabashed improvised intensity... read more
Aaron Immanuel Wright - Eleven Daughters
by Jason Bivins, Cadence
Eleven Daughters is a nice modern mainstream set, with just the right touch of funk and dissonance to recall some mid-1960s Jackie McLean to my ears. The leader plays with the kind of agile muscularity of, say, Michael Formanek and he pairs really well with Menendez, who crackles throughout. Grant and Willcox are both fairly brooding presences, though that's not at all meant as a negative. Together, the group contains a winning assemblage of... read more
Anthony Branker & Imagine - What Place Can Be for Us?
by Philip Booth, Jazzlands
Anthony Branker's 10-movement suite, initially written in response to the forced migration of Syrians during their country's civil war, also points to the open racism, bigotry and cultural erasure on the rise in America, circa 2023. The ambitious, sprawling song cycle opens with the fusion-edged "The Door of No Return," its title a reference to the Senegalese site where Africans were captured and forced onto slave ships bound to the New World;... read more
Ray Vega & Thomas Marriott - Return of the East-West Trumpet Summit
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott make up a two pronged battering ram as they bring their trumpets to the front line along with a soulful rhythm team of George Colligan/B3 and Matt Jorgenson/dr. Jorgenson lays down the groove for some hard bopping blowers such as "The Egyptian" and the ride cymbal snapping "United" that includes staccato hand claps to keep the ride bustling. The horns have fun with the shuffle boogie of a soul-filled "The Bourgeoloo"... read more
Dave Glenn - National Pastime
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Many talented jazz musicians are hidden from the jazz audience because they are full-time teachers in various colleges around the country, instead of gigging frequently in large metropolitan centers and making regular visits to the recording studio. Trombonist Dave Glenn is hardly new to the scene, as he spent a decade with the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band, recording and performing with the baritonist and others before becoming director of... read more
Ted Moore Trio - The Natural Order of Things
by George Harris, Jazz Weekly
Drummer and percussionist Ted Moore teams up with pianist Phil Markowitz and bassist Kai Eckhardt for a collection of mostly modal, mostly original tunes. The one ringer is Joseph Brakett's "Simple Gifts" which also includes clever dashes of Aaron Copeland in the puree'. Moore lays down nice pulsations to Markowitz's McCoy Tyner-inspired chords on the rich title track and the assertive "What's The Meaning of This" while the team snaps to "Theme... read more
Meridian Odyssey - Second Wave
by Abe Beeson, KNKX, New Cool
If you've been following the Seattle jazz scene, no doubt you know a few of the musicians calling themselves Meridian Odyssey. They've played as sidemen with many of the city's top players and spent hours working together in each others' bands. Despite and because of the pandemic, the quintet of friends found room to collaborate in socially distanced Alaska, resulting in a great new album.
For Second Wave, Xavier Lecouturier, the band's... read more
Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra - Groove Junkies
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
4-STARS Groove junkies searching for a fix need look no further. Mainlining this music—a hard-hitting big band set that satisfies as it soars—offers a serious high. With a pen and mind untrammeled by norms and expectations, and a tight crew of musical compatriots bringing stentorian sound and vision to his book, trombonist-composer Ben Patterson delivers the goods and then some.
Patterson's positively electric take on saxophonist... read more
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