Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
EEA - The Dark
by davec, WRUV Reviews
Debut effort from this trio which includes Peter Epstein(reeds), Larry Engstrom(trp) & David Ake(p). Title could not be more apt for the CD is a spacious, mellow set of music where emphasis is less is... read more
Dmitri Matheny - Cascadia
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
Here's the challenge when you're a jazz flugelhorn player: avoiding sounding like a TV commercial soundtrack from 1979. It's not your fault; it's just that the flugelhorn has such a sweet, soft tone that it was the favorite vehicle for easy-listening music during that heavily easy-listening decade. So what does Dmitri Matheny do? He takes the dangerous path: he embraces the softness of his instrument, but puts it to work delivering sharp,... read more
Jessica Williams - The Art of the Piano
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
After recording for several labels, Jessica Williams may have found her most empathetic home at Origin Arts. She has produced several fine recordings with the label that include: Songs (with Carolyn Graye)(0A2, 1997); Billy's Theme: A Tribute to Dr. Billy Taylor (Origin, 2006); Songs for a New Century (2008, Origin); and now, in 2009, The Art of the Piano, recorded in solo performance live at The Triple Door, Seattle.
Like Cyrus Chestnut,... read more
Lucas Pino - No Net Nonet
by Shaun Brady, Downbeat
3 1/2 STARS Young tenorman Lucas Pino has led a monthly residency at Smalls Jazz Club with his smart nine-piece ensemble since March 2013, which explains why the band sounds so tight and cohesive on its self-titled debut, No Net Nonet. Out of the gate, the band navigates blistering, breakneck lines with hairpin precision on opener "The Fox," which features well-articulated serpentine runs from the leader followed by a more spacious... read more
David Weiss Sextet - Auteur
by Lance Liddle, BeBop Spoken Here (UK)
There have been a lot of excellent albums dished up for review this year and already the contenders for Album of the Year are amassing.
Auteur is one guaranteed to be in the shake-up. It's the kind of music I had in mind when I first started blogging all those years ago - bop, hard bop, post bop and beyond (albeit not too far beyond).
In his notes, Weiss states that, just like in politics, jazz has no middle anymore. adding that, unlike... read more
José Luiz Martins - Odyssey Mixtape
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
This Brazilian keyboardist immerses us in pure jazz fusion; a genre that demands caution, given that since the 1970s, we've encountered everything from the sublime to the forgettable. Yet here, we have a truly delightful album, one that revitalizes the style by infusing it with cultural depth. And should you have any doubts, a flute is there to remind you: this composer is unmistakably Brazilian, and we are all the richer for discovering his... read more
Mike Pope - The Parts You Keep
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Bassist Mike Pope brings in a muscular and tasteful team of Geoffrey Keezer/p-k, Nate Smith/dr, Roxy Coss/ts-ss, Randy Brecker/tp-fh, Amaury Cabral/g, Ann Almond Pope/p and a guest string quartet for a swinging yet lyrical mix of standards, originals and even some classical. Of the latter, Pope lights the candles for the glistening title tune while going Old World rich on "Spharenmusik". Keezer taps into his inner Herbie Hancock as he gets... read more
Keigo Hirakawa - Pixel
by Suzuck, My Secret Room (Japan)
Keigo Hirakawa is an Ohio-based pianist, composer, and doctor of engineering. This album is science and jazz, I was told by an acquaintance who has connections in the United States.
Instead of traveling from Japan to the US for recording and playing with local players, this album was made possible by his career as a jazz pianist in the US for more than 20 years. Although he lives in Ohio, the new album is centered around players from... read more
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