Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Trio East - Best Bets
by Ed Trefzger, JazzWeek
A WORKING GROUP since 2001, the "power trio" of Clay Jenkins on trumpet, Jeff Campbell on bass and Rich Thompson on drums keeps a regular Thursday gig a few blocks from the Eastman School of Music where all are on the faculty. The absence of piano on this understated CD of mostly originals and a few uniquely arranged standards provides plenty of space for Jenkins' smouldering but clear trumpet, Campbell's driving bottom end and Thompson's... read more
Dave Hanson - Blues Sky
by Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
All About Jazz reads: "After decades as an in-demand composer/arranger, and a co-leader of Denver's acclaimed H2 Big Band, pianist Dave Hanson took his 2024 week-long Artist in Residence at Denver's Dazzle Jazz club to put focus on his piano playing and his small group arranging, resulting in this debut quartet recording. With saxophonist Wil Swindler, bassist Mark Simon, and drummer Paul Romaine, Hanson pays tribute to a melting pot of towering... read more
Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble - The Atwood Suites
by Paul Weideman, Pasatiempo (The New Mexican, Santa Fe)
Soprano and baritone saxophones open "Two Islands I" in a sprightly mien, like an awakening. Luciana Souza sings lines from a Margaret Atwood poem: "I could say it without looking, the animals; the blackened trees, the arrivals; the bodies, words, it goes and goes; I could recite it backwards." Tim Hagans begins a lovely solo on flügelhorn, kinetically abetted by drummer Bill Stewart, who is a constant but varicolored presence on Andrew... read more
Tom Luer - Project Popular
by Adam Greenberg, All Music
Cross-pollination between jazz and pop music has become something of a mini-trend in the last few years, ranging from interesting fusions and covers on smaller labels up to a high-exposure Grammy for Herbie Hancock's renditions of Joni Mitchell songs. In the same vein, Los Angeles-based sax player Tom Luer reworks a handful of major hits into easygoing West Coast modern jazz on Project Popular. This is light, airy music fresh from the cafes more... read more
Andrea Brachfeld & Insight - Evolution
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Andrea Brachfeld plays a wide variety of flutes to create diverse moods, teaming up with Harvie S/b, Bill O'Connell/p and Jason Tiemann/dr-perc on this collection of originals. African moods are created with her wood flute and kalimba on the mystical "The Hut Song" while a trip to South America brings her clay flute to team with O'Connell on an alluring "Qingauitt". A vocal message is rapped out on the modal "Child of the Earth" and messages are... read more
Amit Friedman - Sunrise
by Editorial staff, Third Ear - Israel
BEST OF 2012
It was worth waiting for saxophonist Amit Friedman's debut album. The straightforward joie de vivre in his music carries you away, and puts a smile on even the most cynical face. The Israeli sound is familiar and close to home, inviting you in only to discover some surprising facets of the Israeli jazzman. Amit juggles sophistication and coolness and gives you a feeling of a family celebration, with the help of the... read more
Jessica Williams - Touch
by Fred Bouchard, All About Jazz - New York
Jessica Williams lights candles, sets moods and tells her deep stories in nobody's hurry, revolving a leisurely kaleidoscope of intimate variations on Touch. She says, "Neither life nor music is a contest." No more hammering, her fine style features internal linear dynamics and remarkable voicings. Her chiaroscuro narratives waft through seductive veils of fog and smoke. Her "I Loves You Porgy" is as elegantly shaded and emotionally tidal... read more
Cathy Segal-Garcia & Phillip Strange - Live in Japan
by Paul Freeman, Pop Culture Classics
Good things are worth waiting for. And it's been a very long wait for the release of this exceptional set, performed by jazz vocalist Cathy Segal-Garcia and pianist Phillip Strange. It was recorded in Osaka, Japan, 30 years ago. But what dazzled listeners in 1992 will still do so in 2022 and beyond.
This two-CD package contains 21 classic tunes, attractively arranged and entrancingly performed. Segal-Garcia's ability to utilize unique... read more
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