Composer/arranger Phil Kelly's new big band CD is truly a convergence zone between "tight" and "loose." Combining a stellar array of first-call studio players and smokin' jazz soloists from the Pacific Northwest with a few of his old friends from the Los Angeles, New York and Nashville scenes, Kelly has come up with a recording that combines consummate craftsmanship with flat-out fun in a most engaging fashion.
Kelly retired to the... read more
Hal Galper's recordings always have an adventurous spirit, and the live CD Art-Work is no exception. The veteran pianist, joined by bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Rashid Ali (both veterans of John Coltrane's bands, though not at the same time), launches into a furious exploration of Duke Ellington's simple riff blues "Take the Coltrane," though Galper incorporates dissonance into the introduction and quickly builds steam as he takes the... read more
Poet Philip Levine discovered jazz on the radio when he was a teenager.
"Like any young person, I wanted to find an art form that the older people in my family would reject, naturally you know," he said to me in a 2004 interview. "I had found T.S. Eliot in poetry: 'God, what kind of garbage is this?' You know. And I heard jazz — rhythmic, driving, sometimes very lyric — and it was very exciting."
Levine would be awarded a Pulitzer... read more
After his years with the Jef Neve trio, the Antwerp double bassist Piet Verbist has not been idle. Now he forms a trio with guitarist Hendrik Braeckman, who you know from the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, and the versatile drummer Lionel Beuvens.
Verbist has a deep warm sound that shines here in all its glory. He can also write beautiful melodies such as "A Noble Trice", which reminds me a bit of Pat Metheny, or the whimsical "In Peace With... read more
4 STARS The third album for master drummer/composer Robby Ameen - engine driver for the Afrojazz-tastic likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Ruben Blades - is as spirited and accomplished as fans would expect. And as hard-hitting. While Ameen can do deft understatement, allowing starry brass-wielding mates including Bob Franceschini and Conrad Herwig to shine, Diluvio does what it says on the tin. When Ameen lets rip, as he does in charged,... read more
Continuum, the new release on Origin Records from The Richard Sussman Quintet is now available. Richard Sussman is a pianist, composer, music technologist, and professor of jazz composition at Manhattan School of Music in New York City (since 1986). In that capacity, Sussman gives private lessons, teaches, develops jazz arranging class curriculum, and manages all aspects of the electronic music technology/MIDI recording studios for the jazz... read more
Track review of "Dear Prudence"
Bassist Chuck Deardorf follows up his pairing with Dave Peterson on Portal (Origin Records, 2004), with his multidimensional Transparence. Deardorf raises his bass presence to that of the guitar and keyboards on the board, allowing for a turbulent sound mix that resolves itself with time, like incorporating color in paint. This sonic phenomenon is well illustrated in Deardorf's cover of The Beatles' "Dear... read more
Cathy Segal-Garcia is nothing if not prolific. An international performer, to be sure, she is also a Jazz educator and 14-time recording artist. This is a departure but a natural development from 2018's The Jazz Chamber, a brilliant album with a chamber orchestra and joined by fellow vocalists Mon David and Kate McGarry.
Now Cathy offers Social Anthems, Volume 1 and brings along those great West Coast Jazz cats who make it look so easy. She... read more
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect