Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Geoff Stradling - Les is Mo'
by Jeff Krow, Audiophile Audition
Geoff Stradling is a man of many tastes. His Origin release gives his audience the chance to take a musical journey with him. The pristine sound that Stradling presents on the CD is an added bonus with Geoff himself both producing and engineering his maiden effort for the label. Recorded in February and August 2006, at Stradman Music (Stradling's own studio?), Stradling has made an effort to explore a myriad of jazz styles, which he describes as... read more
Florian Hoefner - Coldwater Stories
by Fountas Troussas, Diskoryxeion (Greece)
A German pianist with a good career, for which we reviewed last year's "Luminosity" (also on Origin), Florian Hoefner has a new album, solo this time, inspired by Newfoundland, Canada, in the Atlantic (a bit less than Greece!) and who obviously visited it while staying amazed by its natural beauty. The result is included in "Coldwater Stories" [Origin, 2017], a ten-piece CD , all written by Hoefner - and not only synthesized, but also framed by... read more
Michael Dease - MSU Jazz Trombones: Spartan Strong
by George Harris, Jazz Weekly
You've got to love the moxie of trombonist Michael Dease, who thinks he can take on with his trombone and rhythm teams of Xavier Davis & Ethan Frank on piano, Jared Beckstead-Craan & Reuben Stump on bass and drummers Keith Hall, Brian Allen & Randy Gelispie, the MSU Jazz Trombone team consisting of 17, count 'em, 17 trombones and six (!) bass trombones. What could go wrong?
NOTHING! This album is a total delight, with every potential... read more
Carlos Vega - Bird's Up
by Lance Liddle, Bebop Spoken Here
Two CDs recorded not quite 2 years apart by a modern-day hardbop quintet led by Florida born Vega who also composed all of the 20 tracks on both albums as well as blowing some paint stripping sax. It's a humdinger of a band, all strong soloists in their own right and, importantly, team players too. Although the albums were recorded in Chicago, there is often a Miami Latin feel to the music -listen to the Cajon box on "Taurus and Virgo" on... read more
Eddie Allen and PUSH - The Rhythm
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
New York trumpeter, Eddie Allen, leads this ensemble he calls PUSH through a baker's dozen of tunes, including ten original compositions. The album title "Rhythm People" says it all. The arrangements splash on the scene with mad rhythms. They push the title track ahead in 6/8 time, adding an African flair to the arrangement. A quarter of the way through, the PUSH ensemble changes the groove to a bluesy 4/4 Straight-ahead feel, letting Eddie... read more
John Moulder - Bifrost
by John Ephland, Downbeat
***1/2 stars
The first thing one may notice is Moulder's penchant for going back and forth between his acoustic and electric guitars. That he plays his six- an 12-string acoustics in a manner that at times might recall Ralph Towner's music with Jan Garbarek (thanks to the full-bodied tenor saxophone sounds of Bendik Hofseth) is not surprising. Bifrost sports Hofseth with fellow Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen, both whom help give the... read more
David Friesen and Glen Moore - Bactrian
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Both David Friesen and Glen Moore play bass and piano on this collection of duets and solos. Friesen plays a Hemage bass and Moore a regular acoustic one, and they emphasize the rumbling conversations of the strings on the babbling "Still Waters" and the agile "Caravan." Friesen's piano is pensive with Moore on"Soft as Silk" and when the roles are reversed, a bop feel is created on "Kontrast." Quiet and... read more
Ben Thomas - The Mystagogue
by John Barrett, Jr., Jazz USA
Power -it's here by the truckload. While Ben Thomas brings his mallets down hard, his band stretches in serpentine, Zappa-like themes. There's tons of sustain on the title track, endless harmony for the drums to crash against. After Ben's mighty solo, we hear Eric Likkel's nervous clarinet, waddling with delight. His notes are delicate, and somehow fit amidst all this power. What is a mystagogue? Judging by the tune, something wonderful.... read more
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