Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Emma Larsson - Sing To the Sky
by Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes
Listening to Emma Larsson, it's hard not to be reminded of the young Nancy Wilson. The Swedish-born, New York-based singer, now three albums into what promises to be an impressive career, mirrors Wilson's silken delivery and her sly interpretative sass. Yet beneath that elegant surface is a tiger ready to spring, a jazz-savvy adventuress worthy of Abbey Lincoln or Betty Carter. While her previous discs teamed her with a trio of top-drawer... read more
Nancy Kelly - Be Cool
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
If you're a lover of classic jazz in its most timeless form, this album will feel like home. Don't expect reinvention—expect excellence. What you'll find is a luminous voice, perfectly poised, supported by world-class musicians who elevate each familiar melody into something quietly sublime. It's an album made for the sheer pleasure of listening, where every note lands with grace and assurance, and the mood is unhurried, elegant, and... read more
Hal Galper / Reggie Workman / Rashied Ali - Art-Work
by Geoffrey Himes, The Village Voice
THE VILLAGE VOICE
2009 Jazz Critics Poll
TOP TEN NEW RELEASES 2009
Geoffrey Himes (JazzTimes, Washington Post)
Bill Frisell: Disfarmer (Nonesuch)
Fly: Sky & Country (ECM)
Joe Lovano: Folk Art (Blue Note)
Dave Douglas: A Single Sky (Greenleaf Music)
Branford Marsalis: Metamorphosen (Marsalis Music)
Vijay Iyer: Historicity (ACT)
David Binney: Third Occasion (Mythology)
Matt Wilson: That's Gonna Leave a Mark... read more
Scott Hesse - The Stillness of Motion
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Guitarist Soctt Hesse taps into his inner Jim Hall on this trio date with Clark Sommers/b and Makaya McCraven/dr. The mood is gentle and subdued, with even the tune called "Hendrix" a quiet avalanche. There's some chugging rhythms on "In The Air Again," but the emphasis is on McCraven's sophisticated and stylish brushes and cymbal work serving as a gentle nudge for Hesse's cool toned guitar on "Laws of Motian" and "Sage." As impressionistic as a... read more
Human Spirit - Dialogue
by George Colligan, Jazz Truth
Human Spirit is a Seattle based jazz group which I have had the pleasure of performing with a handful of times in the past year or so. Their new CD entitled "Dialogue" was recorded during a weekend gig at Tula's (one of the great jazz clubs of Seattle). The core members of the group- drummer Matt Jorgensen, trumpeter Thomas Marriott, and alto saxophonist Mark Taylor- invited two special guests from New York: pianist Orrin Evans and bassist... read more
David Friesen - This Light Has No Darkness, Volume 1
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
In an era when most "statement albums" are focusing on the darkness, bassist David Friesen uses his Hemage Bass and faith to shine a bright and encouraging light. He teams up with pianist Paul Lees, percussionists Charlie Doggett and Rob More, and uses the arrangements, orchestrations and chamber ensemble programming of Kyle Gordon to create a richly textured and organic collection of sweeping ideas and moods.
You don't have to be a 5 Point... read more
Matt Jorgensen + 451 - Another Morning
by Christopher DeLaurenti, The Stranger
With Another Morning (Origin), Matt Jorgensen+451 continue their pathbreaking combination of jazz, rock, and funk, all without succumbing to the excesses of yore: aimless solos, straitjacketed arrangements, and second-rate riffs. My favorite track, "Lock Down," begins with Ryan Burns laying down some serene electric piano chords but a sequence of ascending harmonies takes over, giving the tune a yearning, Pet Sounds?era Brian Wilson feel. Fine... read more
David Friesen and Glen Moore - Bactrian
by William Minor, Bill's Blog
Walt Whitman was not the first person to claim to contain multitudes. In Greek mythology, Deucalion and Pyrrha were instructed by Themis to replace the loss of mankind (after the end of an Iron Age flood) by casting stones of the earth (reinstating men and women) behind them. The couple claimed, "Nos duo turba sumus" ("We two form a multitude."). In our era, Larry Constantine, an American software engineer considered one of the pioneers of... read more
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