Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Brad Goode - Polytonal Dance Party
by John Frederick Moore, Jazziz
Trumpeter Brad Goode pulls a neat trick with this disc. He's taken a deliberately difficult approach to composing and arranging, then makes it sound fun rather than academic or pretentious. These 11 tracks contain enough polytonal harmonies to make a modernist-classical composer proud, but as the title suggests, you can danced to the music, as well.
Goode's method is most noticeable in his covers, especially on the '70s soul classic "Betcha... read more
Bob Sneider & Joe Locke - Nocturne for Ava
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Bob Sneider and Joe Locke's follow-up to Fallen Angel, their first Film Noir Project, follows the same formula, blending creative arrangements of music written for movies with enticing originals that are worthy of being utilized in soundtracks. Joining the guitarist and vibraphonist once more are trumpeter John Sneider, tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart, and pianist Paul Hofmann, with newcomers including bassist Martin Wind, drummer Tim Horner,... read more
Metropolitan Jazz Octet - The Bowie Project
by Paul Reynolds, All About Jazz
A tribute to a pop artist by jazz musicians—as with the new David Bowie album by Chicago's Metropolitan Jazz Octet—has to tread a careful line. It obviously won't—can't—be a rote reproduction of the originals, a flaw that sinks many pop-to-pop tributes. Yet it needs to translate the songs into jazz—its harmonic sophistication, especially—in a way that retains the essence of the artist being celebrated.
The MJO effort deftly rises... read more
Human Spirit - Dialogue
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
The members of Human Spirit ? a core unit of the many jazz musicians who have made Seattle and the Pacific Northwest their home ? are trumpeter/composer/producer Thomas Marriott, saxophonist Mark Taylor and drummer Matt Jorgensen. Their combined resumes includes 14 albums as leaders and dozens more as sidemen. For this release, they added guests Orrin Evans (piano) and Essiet Essiet (bass). The resulting quintet delivers an album dubbed the... read more
David Sills - Eastern View
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
With a solid organ trio backing him, tenor saxophonist David Sills grabs your attention with his very first solo on Eastern View's opener, the Sills-penned (as are all the songs here) "New Break." The tune opens with an organ-supplied bass groove backed by shimmering cymbals; then the guitar and sax enter, peeling off some tangy mid-tempo lines, until the accompaniment pulls back and Sills steps out front, with a somewhat restrained (nicely so)... read more
Bobby Broom - Song And Dance
by John Frederick Moore, Jazziz
Bobby Broom has been a featured sideman for several jazz legends, including Miles Davis and Stanley Turrentine, and he's come into the spotlight recently as a member of Sonny Rollins' band. But the guitarist has also periodically recorded as a leader for more than 25 years. For his sixth disc, Broom shows why his subtle, articulate approach has long been in demand among jazz's heaviest hitters.
Broom's pure tone and fluid style are squarely... read more
John Wojciechowski - Focus
by Sean J. O'Connell, Downbeat
This date by saxophonist John Wojciechowski hangs in a tight classic '60s quartet formation, brimming with full-bodied horn work and assertive percussion. The leader penned seven of the 10 tunes and brought along three different horns to blow his way through them.
The album highlight is "Summon The Elders," an explosive statement full of dramatic entrances and freight-train drums honoring the muscle of trailblazers like John Coltrane and... read more
Nanami Haruta - The Vibe
by Ferell Aubre, The Jazz Word
With her debut album, The Vibe, trombonist Nanami Haruta confidently steps onto the jazz scene, marking herself as an exhilarating player on the jazz scene. Released February 28, 2025, on Origin Records, the album circles Haruta's exceptional talent. Mentor and producer Michael Dease presence on trombone and baritone saxophone imbues the project with energy.
The album opens invitingly with Renee Rosnes' "Girlie's World," arranged by Chris... read more
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