Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Jessica Williams - Freedom Trane
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence
Pianist Jessica Williams explores the music of John Coltrane, playing compositions from various parts of his career as well as original pieces that strongly show his influence. All the familiar Coltrane characeristics are here: heavy chords, grand swirling introductions, and slowly unwinding melodies. But there are not a lot of direct takes from his most familiar pianist, McCoy Tyner. Williams' playing is based more on the rich melodic sweep... read more
Rodney Whitaker - Common Ground: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Tomas Peña, JazzDeLaPena
Bass player Rodney Whitaker moves in the highest circles of the jazz world. But when he meets a self-taught artist, his ears perk up. "They'll say 'you don't want to listen to me, I'm not trained.'" Whitaker says. "But I do. People who have figured things out themselves really know something." So when Whitaker met Gregg Hill, a self-taught jazz composer, he was ready to listen.
Whitaker has worked with the likes of Wynton Marsalis and Roy... read more
Seattle Trumpet Consort - After Baroque: Music For The Natural Trumpet
by Adam Greenberg, All Music
A group created in order to study and exhibit the sound of the natural trumpet (the trumpet prior to the addition of valves), the Seattle Trumpet Consort put together a collection of works created after the Baroque period that showcases the trumpet in its original form, using instruments modeled after museum pieces. Combining with them is a timpani modeled after another museum piece and a pair of flutists using Baroque versions of their... read more
Tom Collier - Alone in the Studio
by Chris Lunn, Ancient Victorys
Collier, a brilliant composer musician on vibraphone, marimba, piano and drums, recorded this entire CD in his own studio, a recording home he has perfected for decades. So he moves easily from solos to entire ensemble pieces showcasing the various instruments he palys. It is inventive and you will feel very much the talent of the writing, arranging, and playing in these eleven tunes.
"Little Green Thing" has lovely, light solo vibes, very... read more
Sam Yahel - From Sun to Sun
by Stuart Kremsky, Cadence
After five albums on which he played only organ, Sam Yahel moved over to the piano bench for his last release on Origin, and he largely stays there for this new session. Yahel, joined once again by accomplished bassist Matt Penman and the ever tasteful drummer Jochen Rueckert, is insidiously charming on the free-flowing "2 Pilgrims" that opens the set. It's the first of ten original compositions by the keyboardist, whose caressing touch at the... read more
John Bishop with Jeff Johnson, Rick Mandyck, John Stowell - Scenes
by Dick Crockett, The Voice
A new delight from OriginArts; John Bishop/Jeff Johnson/Rick Mandyck/John Stowell and "Scenes." They play McCoy Tyner’s "Blues On The Corner" in this segment with dedication, no shuck and jive, straight ahead. You know by listening these guys enjoy playing together. Rick Mandyck and John Stowell acheive a similar saxophone/guitar convergence as did Paul Desmond and Jim Hall in "Take Ten." It makes you think of flying up to Seattle/Tacoma... read more
Deep Blue Organ Trio - Wonderful!
by Aaron Cohen, Downbeat
In the not-too-distant future, Stevie Wonder's compositions will become standard repertoire for jazz musicians. When that day comes, the Deep Blue Organ Trio's Wonderful! will serve as the example for how his tunes should be interpreted. The group fully knows Wonder's catalog, going deeper than the obvious hits. And they know each other even better, which comes from playing together every Tuesday at Chicago's Green Mill club. Chris Foreman's... read more
Tim Jensen - A Mind For The Scenery
by Marty Hughley, The Oregonian
Not horning in on fame
The best-known musicians on the Portland jazz scene tend to be those who've achieved a good measure of national notice (Tom Grant), kept their names out front as bandleaders (Thara Memory) or served for decades as reliable if low-key masters of the craft (Phil Baker). But name recognition can sometimes take a while to catch up with talent. So if you're not yet familiar with Tim Jensen, don't presume that's... read more
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