Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Marcos Varela - San Ygnacio
by John D'Auria, Bass Player
The latest album by young New York-based doubler Varela shows he can swing with the best of them, as exhibited on the opening track, "I Should Care." Varela's solo at the halfway point bursts with harmony, as he speeds his way up and down the fingerboard with precision. While the album as a whole is a melting pot of styles and vibes, it all merges together perfectly, thanks to Varela's vibrant upright... read more
Anthony Branker - Beauty Within
by Jay Hunter, Nippertown (Albany, NY)
2016 TOP 10 Composer/arranger Anthony Branker doesn't play on his own pieces; like Maria Schneider, he's got people for that. But where Schneider literally needs an army to paint her pastoral pictures, Branker employs an uber-tight quintet of notorious killers to conjure music that soothes your soul one moment, then goes for your throat the next - on the same tune! The front line of saxman Ralph Bowen, guitarist Pete McCann and pianist... read more
Chris Walden Big Band & The St. John's Choir - Kurt Marti Suite
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Chris Walden's Kurt Marti Suite utilizes the sacred poems of Kurt Marti, a priest whose religious poetry was highly rated. Walden utilizes his big band and the 67 voices of the St. John's Choir for the 12-part suite. While there are occasional solos, including from tenor saxophonist Brandon Fields, altoist Jeff Driskill, and trombonist Bob McChesney, the music mostly features ensembles and the voices. The CD concludes with a Michael Brecker... read more
Thomas Marriott - Flexicon
by David Dupont, Cadence
Thomas Marriott opens his session, Flexicon, with his own Hubbard cover, "Take it to the Ozone." Though Marriott clearly has learned as much from Hubbard as Gardner, what they've taken from the late trumpeter is different. Gardner captures the bluster and showmanship while Marriott has drawn from the lyrical side. I first encountered Marriott on Christmas sessions from Origin. I assumed he was an older journeyman, someone who had pared his... read more
Gene Argel - Luminescent
by Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation
Gene's piano work on this quartet outing is full of life and joy, yet he does it without a touch of embellishment... pieces like the opener, "Annette", will make you introspective, but you'll come away with a touch of nostalgia for music that could have been (if only you'd listened to the piano teacher - lol... talking to myself there). Gene is joined by highly talented players, too... Jay Thomas on alto/tenor sax and trumpet, Chuck Deardorf on... read more
Sarah Partridge - Bright Lights and Promises: Redefining Janis Ian
by Neil Tesser, Jazziz
When Janis Ian arrived in the 1960s as a teenaged singer-songwriter armed with an acoustic guitar, no one would have confused her with a jazz singer. She did have a precociously mature social consciousness--her first hit, "Society's Child," dealt with the establishment's disdain for interracial romance--and her biggest single, the chart-topping "At Seventeen," boasted a bossa nova beat and enough melodic content to elicit a cover from iconic bop... read more
Thomas Marriott - Constraints & Liberations
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Thomas Marriott's fifth CD as a leader marks a substantial departure from his earlier efforts. Not only does he focus exclusively on originals for this session, but his approach to the trumpet has moved away from a forceful pop style to a more reserved, yet emotional technique. Tenor saxophonist Hans Teuber, pianist Gary Versace, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop make up the terrific supporting band. The tense post-bop vehicle... read more
Geof Bradfield - melba!
by Martin Z. Kasdan Jr., LEO Weekly, Louisville
Saxophonist/composer Geof Bradfield enlisted his longtime employer, pianist Ryan Cohan, to play in his suite honoring Melba Liston. She was one of the first African-American women to make her name as a jazz instrumentalist (trombone) and arranger, associated over four decades with pianist Randy Weston, among many other projects. (Weston himself rightly praises Bradfield's work.) Bradfield tells Liston's story in musical movements,... read more
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