Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Ray LeVier - Ray's Way
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
New York-based drummer Ray Levier contends for debut CD of the year with Ray's Way. He's assembled an all-star cast, including two of the finest guitarists plying the six string trade: John Abercrombie and Mike Stern, on five and four cuts respectively.
Levier's drumming has a "serve the music" approach that can be subtle or assertive, and often quite rock-influenced, as on the Mike Stern-penned "You Never Know," a tune that recalls Mark... read more
Josh Nelson - The Sky Remains
by Keizo Takada, Music Pen Club (Japan)
Josh Nelson, a Jazz pianist plays an active role in Los Angeles, was born in 1978. When he was 19 years old, he released his first album "First Stories" and has released many albums that mainly feature his originals. He toured various countries as a pianist for Natalie Cole for 6 years. He has been a music director for Sara Gazarek over 10 years, toured in Japan with her, and played together in her latest album "Dream in Blue".He has also... read more
Jim Knapp Orchestra - It's Not Business, It's Personal
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
4 1/2-STARS The Jim Knapp Orchestra's CD It's Not Business, It's Personal, recorded in February 2009, was set to be released on November 19, 2021—six days after Knapp died at age eighty-two in Kirkland, Washington. Apart from his role as bandleader, Knapp was a trumpeter, composer, arranger and longtime faculty member at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. Described by Grammy-winning composer/pianist Jim McNeely as "a brilliant... read more
Matt Jorgensen - Tattooed by Passion: Music inspired by the paintings of Dale Chisman
by Kyle O'Brien, Jazz Society of Oregon
The title alone is enough to give this one a spin. On closer look and listen, drummer Jorgensen's disc is a musical exploration of the paintings of Dale Chisman. The title is taken from Chisman's abstract impression of an upside down bass viol. The accompanying tune doesn't have the immediate impact as the painting, but the light tune does evoke a sense of wonder, as if you're looking at the picture, not a part of it. Trumpeter Thomas Marriott... read more
Piet Verbist Zygomatik - Cattitude
by Gunther Ramysen, Demofarm
In ons land wordt aan jazz sowieso te weinig aandacht besteed, maar aan wie moeten we dan aandacht besteden is dan al snel de vraag. En dat is makkelijk te beantwoorden met de naam Piet Verbist. Piet Verbist is een contrabassist uit het Antwerpse die vooral bekend is geworden met zijn rol in het Jef Neve Trio en het label Contour dat hij oprichtte. Het was op dat label dat hij de eerste releases (Blue Saga en It's Gone) van het Jef Neve Trio... read more
Chenxi Pan - This Very Moment
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Chenxi Pan is a storyteller. She has a pleasing tone and has composed all thirteen songs on this album. Her vocals are tenor saxophone-smooth. In fact, on the first song "Hymn for the Spring" she and sax man, Nathan Nakadegawa-Lee blend sweetly, like chocolate and caramel. The bluesy guitar of George Rykova adds another texture to the arrangement.
Born and raised in China, Chenxi Pan changed her path of study from literature to music,... read more
Benny Powell - Nextep
by Will Smith, JazzTimes, Jan/Feb 09
It's most encouraging to hear some of jazz's senior citizens (Sonny Rollins, James Moody, Lee Konitz, Clark Terry and Hank Jones, among others) remaining active and creative in their sunset years. At age 78, trombonist Benny Powell may have lost a step or two with regard to his solo work on Nextep, his first recording in five years, yet he's still out there offering an abundance of music worth hearing with an often sprightly, burnished... read more
Chad McCullough & Bram Weijters - Abstract Quantities
by Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation
If solid & pure jazz is what you're after, you won't find any better than this band featuring Chad's trumpet and Bram's great keyboards (along with bass from Piet Verbist and drums from John Bishop) anywhere on the globe. This is their third release... my first listen, but on tunes like the 5:35 "Hesitation", you'll hear just how sensitive the players are to each other... the recording is pure and clean, and if you listen with your headphones... read more
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