The saxophone powerhouse Jordan VanHemert returns with Rodney Whitaker on bass and David Alvarez III behind the drum kit for a listen that celebrates Korean culture via their exciting jazz formula, and there's plenty of guests in attendance, too.
"Bird, Bird, Bluebird" starts the listen with VanHemet's warm sax before frisky drumming and playful bass enters the stylish jazz climate, and "Imjin River Song" follows with the rhythm section... read more
Q&A with Cuong Vu: Back in Seattle
With his career heating up following a stint in the Pat Metheny Group, in 2006 Cuong Vu made the opposite of the usual exodus and moved from New York City back to his former home of Seattle. There the Vietnamese-born trumpeter, now 41, revitalized the young jazz scene centered around the university of Washington. One former student, bassist Luke Bergman, appears on both of Vu's new releases: 'Leaps of... read more
4-STARS For some people, the whole notion of an east-west summit of anything in jazz brings up the perceived differences over time between American west coast jazz and its east coast counterpart. The basic premise is that jazz on the American west coast is a cousin to the cool jazz movement, a calmer, less soulful part of the tradition that relies more on composition and arrangement than the playing of individual improvisers. East coast... read more
Subtitled "The Music of Joni Mitchell," right out of the box, you know it's going to be a little bit of a tightrope act. It's not like "The Music of Cole Porter," or "Johnny Mercer;" songs that have been done a bazillion times, and no one (in my demographic, anyway) can remember exactly who did the original.
On these, there's no doubt. Joni Mitchell did the original. And mostly (in my demographic, anyway), we remember how... read more
Accompanied only by Martin Wind's forthright bass lines, the singer sets her story-telling course with the imperishable 84-year-old "Exactly Like You." She and Wind are so convincing again in "I Wish You Love" that this listener found himself wishing for an entire album with just the two of them. However, Daniels is equally effective accompanying herself on piano and coloring "All The Way" with blues feeling as Wycliffe Gordon... read more
With tenor saxophonist David Sills, three big "s" words come to mind: Swinging, soulful, and...surfing?"
Check out the cover photo on his Green CD. You might think it a re-release of a forgotten Chantays?of "Pipeline" fame?album from 1963. The guy on the surfboard?David Sills himself?is cutting into a bottom turn on a clean, overhead steel blue wave, with, it appears, a tube in his immediate future.
Surfing aside, Sills proves himself a... read more
Giving chestnuts a Latin tinge, this jazz vocalist with a serious art bent knows how to make it work better than it should. No stranger to the top of the charts, she blends her skills in a most tantalizing way. Fun stuff jazz vocal fans looking for something new and different are sure to... read more
You might expect a breath of fresh air out of the Pacific Northwest, but Latin jazz? The innovative Seattle-based Jazz Police orchestra provides both with charts composed and arranged by Daniel Barry. Barry has been associated with the band as a writer and trumpet player since 1987. The hallmarks of the Jazz Police and Daniel Barry are creativity and contrast. They are well matched.
Barry has an extensive grounding in Afro-Cuban and... 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