Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John Moulder - Bifrost
by Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
The Green Mill Jazz Club doesn't usually fall to a hush on a rowdy Friday night, but it did as midnight approached.
With guitarist John Moulder leading an inspired quintet, the music-making often achieved a quiet serenity, bringing a capacity audience to a whisper. There's simply no way to converse when music of such profundity and grace is unfolding.
Moulder has been a leading figure in Chicago jazz for a couple of decades, largely thanks... read more
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by Dave Sumner, emusic Review
Nice straight-ahead session with an appealing accent on the blues. Featuring Terell Stafford on trumpet and Gary Versace on piano, drummer Thompson bundles up a quintet into a warm ball of music. This is the kind of jazz you want drifting out into the street just before you step into the club? strong musicianship, tight compositions, and the room for each artist to stretch out and add something slightly unexpected. An album of one solid tune... read more
Peter Epstein and Idée Fixe - Abstract Realism
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Idee Fixe's method to music creation is a particularly improvised route. Rather than using composed sets, they improvise the backbone of jazz collectively. However, they go further -- they had no prior discussions, no (or rare) starting points from which to build. They simply start exploring ideas together while recording, leading to a particularly free format of jazz. The pieces on Abstract Realism tend to start out sparse, with a tone or two... read more
John McLean / Clark Sommers Band - Parts Unknown
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
4 1/2 STARS It's amazing what can happen when you take a tight-knit, deep-dish duo reflective of Chicago's jazz riches, add one of the world's most dexterous and expressive vibraphonists, and sweeten the deal with a grooving up-and-comer. Charts are mapped over uncharted territories, musical assuredness carries the day in uncertain realms, and surprises await around every well-constructed corner. This is not-so-simply a beautiful case of... read more
Hans Fahling - Hamburg: Port of Call
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
An interesting collaboration between painting and music modeling itself loosely upon the work of Mussorgsky. Accompanying this set of fine modern jazz as performed by quartets on both sides of the Atlantic are a series of paintings by Patrick Haskett with a relatively contemporary style (Norman Rockwell with some impressionism, and something more that music critics shouldn't attempt to describe). The jazz is exceptional, using a guitar as a lead... read more
Carlos Vega - Bird's Ticket
by Michael Jackson, Downbeat Magazine
****
Miami-born Vega, assistant professor at Florida A&M University, returned to Chicago to record this, his first leader release. Vega had been active on Chicago's lively Latin jazz scene, notably with the cracking Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble during his years as a graduate student in the early aughts. He rejoins CALJE co-leader Victor Garcia for a sizzling and sophisticated set of 10 Vega originals.
Bass ace Josh Ramos anchors... read more
Jim Knapp Orchestra - Secular Breathing
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
This is a somewhat grandiose outing of big band jazz from the composing hands of Jim Knapp. A collective of Seattle jazz players -- as well as a couple alums that had wandered to New York -- were called together for the sake of the album. The basic sound that's created here isn't necessarily what one would think of upon hearing the term "big band." It's a basic modern jazz setup for the compositions, with references to classical, world, and folk... read more
Thomas Marriott - Constraints & Liberations
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Thomas Marriott's fifth CD as a leader marks a substantial departure from his earlier efforts. Not only does he focus exclusively on originals for this session, but his approach to the trumpet has moved away from a forceful pop style to a more reserved, yet emotional technique. Tenor saxophonist Hans Teuber, pianist Gary Versace, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop make up the terrific supporting band. The tense post-bop vehicle... read more
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