Hadley Caliman recorded a few albums in the 1970s then didn't record as a leader for several decades until after retiring from his teaching job, then came a series of CDs issued by Origin, of which this is the third. This reunion with fellow tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb marks their first opportunity to play together since the mid-1960s, aside from one brief meeting in the forty plus year stretch leading up to this record date. Many two... read more
This is such a tour de force recording that it's hard to know where to start---and it shouldn't be enjoyed just around Christmas. The bass ace rounds up family and friends, brings in a Detroit crew that is tops at what they do, picks songs that play out the history of Christmas and play the whole thing is a most top shelf way. We need a lot more teachers like Whitaker out there and we need them in all subjects. Amazing stuff that makes it the... read more
Bassist Lorin Cohen, born and raised in Chicago and currently living in New York, has toured extensively with the great Monty Alexander. And so it is only natural that the Caribbean also finds its way onto this diverse and exciting album.
Lorin wanted to use mallet instruments for his eight compositions and he got an ace team of people surrounding him here: master vibraphonist Joe Locke is featured throughout the album and leads, together... read more
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: The Seattle-based Origin label continues its noble venture to bring as many of the performers from the Northwest's bustling, burgeoning jazz scene to a wider audience. This time the label has teamed erstwhile soprano/tenor saxophone player Don Lanphere with one of the area's more active groups, New Stories. Made up of Marc Seales, Doug Miller, and John Bishop , the trio gives its utmost support to Lanphere on a program of jazz... read more
Trumpeter Thomas Marriott spent time paying his dues in the New York scene, moving back to his native Northwest after a few years and becoming a darling of the local jazz scene. On Flexicon, he pulls out sounds and styles from both areas of influence. The album opens with Freddie Hubbard's "Take It to the Ozone," jumping directly into full-speed, full-power, high-energy, post-bop melodies and using the solos to explore every possible nuance of... read more
OK, this is really cool: Purnaprajna Bangere is a violinist who was raised in southern India and trained in the highly technical Parur style of Carnatic classical music. He is also a professor of mathematics and music at the University of Kansas. On this project he combines these two disciplines, creating a unique style of contemporary Indian classical music influenced by various Western genres and underpinned by mathematical structures of... read more
Trumpeter Jared Hall delivers a vintage sounding hard bop session with Troy Roberts/ts in the frontline and Ben Markley/p, Michael Glynn/b and Kyle Swan/dr supplying the grooves. The session comes across like Horace Silver or Art Blakey was watching in approval, as Hall's velvety horn bops over Markley on "Step By Step" and is as sweet as apple cider for a melodic read of Thelonious Monk's "Ask Me Now"> Swan supplies a nice cantor for the warm... read more
Tensile toned guitarist Hugo Fernandez brings together a quartet with horn man Christoph Titz, electric bassist MartinLillich and drummer Jesus Vega through a collection of post bopping originals. He has fun with a reggae pulsed "Caribbean Illusion" and gets a bit funky on the back beat of "Water Tones". Titz is flued and warm on the muted "Undercurrent" as he glides over Lillich's bass lines and bops to Vega's crisp sticks on "Neptune Grass".... read more
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Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
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Jared Hall - Hometown
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