Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Michael Zilber - East West: Music for Big Bands
by Marco Cangiano, The New York City Jazz Record
Michael Zilber's resumé is rich and varied, deserving much wider recognition. Originally from Canada, he spent the first part of his career in New York then moved across the country to San Francisco, where he now resides. This is by far his most ambitious project and first recording with big bands, following the very successful Originals for the Originals and the quartets he shared with guitar great John Stowell. Zilber's writing reflects a... read more
Jordan VanHemert - Deep in the Soil
by Jean-Michel Schlosser, Couleurs Jazz (France)
Jordan VanHemert, multi-ring blower, usually on tenor, substitutes alto here (he also plays soprano, clarinet and flute), and appears as a sextet with, it has to be said, a line-up of exceptional class.
Our Korean-American saxophonist has already performed alongside Dmitri Matheny, Geri Allen and Rodney Whitaker, and this latest release marks his fifth album as leader.
From the outset, we're treated to an edgy, hard-bop jazz style, with... read more
Charlie Ballantine - East by Midwest
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The Baltimore resident and guitarist Charlie Ballantine is joined by Quinn Sternberg and Dan Weiss for these 9 Americana tinted songs that aren't short on grooves.
The shimmering guitar of "Storyteller" opens with much warmth and grace, and "Runaround" follows with Weiss' scrappy drums complementing the meticulous guitar playing.
Landing close to the middle, "Strawberry Fields Forever" is a reflective moment that also benefits from some... read more
Randy Halberstadt - Open Heart
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
41 years a teacher and he can still hit the ivories in late night/after hours fashion. A jazzbo to the core, he took his time getting this set together, from the writing to finding the right players, and if this is OCD, it has useful applications. Or it could just be strict attention to detail, so much so that it can make structure swing sounding spontaneous. Whatever, it's a smoking date that delivers the goods mightily. A tasty workout... read more
Roxy Coss - Restless Idealism
by John Murph, Downbeat
FEATURE STORY Roxy Coss' sophomore album, Restless Idealism, superbly conveys the ecstasy and agony of a musician's early career stages. From illuminating titles such as "Waiting," "Push" and "Tricky" to the vivacious tone and improvisations unraveling from Coss' tenor and soprano saxophones, the program plays out like pages from a journal.
Coss, 29, lifted the disc's title from a passage in Hunter S. Thompson's novel "The... read more
Meridian Odyssey - Earthshine
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A trip to the seventh galaxy for the Space X generation, the accent here is on interplay and vibe rather than exploration. Young lions that know how to play well together and focus on achieving lift off. Solid ensemble work that... read more
Nnenna Freelon - Beneath the Skin
by Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz Scene
Nnenna Freelon, who made her first recording as a leader back in 1992, had only recorded two CDs since 2012: Time Traveler from 2018-20 and a children's music record. Fortunately, Beneath The Skin was well worth waiting for.
Ms. Freelon is heard in top form throughout this set and is at her most expressive whether singing with joy or restrained grief. She wrote or co-composed all of the ten songs and really digs into the... read more
Hadley Caliman - Straight Ahead
by Alan Chase, The Wire
Seattle-based saxophonist Hadley Caliman, recently reemerged after close to 30 years in obscurity, with his latest Straight Ahead on Origin Records. Back in the 1970s, Caliman was the saxophonist of choice for artists ranging from Santana to McCoy Tyner. As the title of this CD implies, this is a straight-up, no-holds-barred, hard bop-oriented session in the vein of classic Blue Note recordings by Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan and Caliman's... read more
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