To ears accustomed to hearing the same holiday songs again and again, Matassa's and Anderson's repertoire is fresh. The composer and lyricist credits include familiar names?Johnny Mandel, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, Victor Young, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini and Irving Berlin. But the Mandel-Bergman "A Christmas Love Song," Bacharach's and Hal David's "Christmas Day" or Bill Mays' and Mark Murphy's "November in the Snow" have not been played ad... read more
Leader of various recording sessions beginning around 1980, sideman on numerous recording dates headed by the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and David Murray, a regular with Sonny Rollins off and on from the early 1980s until a few years ago, and leader of the Deep Blue Organ Trio beginning in 1999, guitarist Bobby Broom has been much in evidence during the last three decades. The music on My Shining Hour indicates why he is a significant... read more
4-STARS - The group Scenes has released seven excellent albums over two decades of recording together, beginning with their eponymous debut (Origin Records, 2001). All of those are studio efforts. The group's 2022 outing, Variable Clouds is a first for Scenes—their first album recorded live in front of an audience, in 2021 at the Earshot Jazz Festival.
This is a return to the group's original line-up. Saxophonist Rick Mandyck sat out... read more
Corey Christiansen plays electric and acoustic guitars in a collection of optimistic settings with a team of David Beove/b, Michael Spiro/perc and Colin Douglas/dr-perc. The extra rhythm pays dividends, whether on the acoustic guitared "My Sofiea" or electrical "Ambedo," the grooves are dug deep. Electric bass and guitar get fusiony on the Latin "Meraki" and the rock out on "Street Cred" with some hot riffs on "Awakening." Christiansen's... read more
Resonance, as manifested in the new recording of the same title by guitarist John Stowell, takes two guises. First, as a talented guitar player with an impressive resume, Stowell can be counted on, nee, expected to provide interesting and compelling performances of both his original and the jazz standard repertoire. This is certainly evident in his choice of recital items. Second, Stowell teams up with the modern guitar Stradivari, Mike Doolin,... read more
Carlos Vega's Art of the Messenger might very well end up being a contender for one of my favorite albums of the year. And when you dissect the pieces, it's easy to understand why. First, start off with a who's who of young(ish) Jazz players in Chicago - Vega plays tenor sax and writes the songs. Victor Garcia is the trumpet player, Stu Mindeman is on piano, Josh Ramos is on bass and Xavier Breaker is playing the drums. Second, write some... read more
5 STARS
Paul Ricci's Path: A 29-Year Journey Toward a Borderless Jazz
It took 29 years, 17 collaborators, and a lifetime of travel for composer and guitarist Paul Ricci to complete Path. In an era of instant releases and compressed creative cycles, this jazz-fusion album arrives as a quiet rebuke to speed, an argument for patience, accumulation, and the slow maturation of ideas across cultures and continents.
The project... read more
Pianist Dave Hanson opens his Blues Sky with a joyful barnburner, "Two Masters," a tip of the hat to Bill Evans and Chick Corea, two of the biggest names in piano jazz. Hanson is probably best known for his work as composer-arranger and co-leader of Denver's H2 Big Band, but he pares things down on his Blues Sky album release, thanks in part to a weeklong artist-in-residence gig at Denver's Dazzle Jazz club, which allowed him... 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