Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Scenes - Destinations
by Scott Yanow, The New York City Jazz Record
John Stowell is a veteran guitarist who, despite their different sounds and repertoire, can be thought of as a latter-day Jim Hall. Like him, Stowell is consistently relaxed both in his improvising style and in his sound. His choice of notes is advanced yet, due to his tone, his solos often sound soothing. He never plays the obvious and close listening to his playing always reveals plenty of subtle surprises.
Scenes: Destinations is a trio... read more
Bug - The GADfly
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Bug are built around the talents of a handful of players, initially from the Los Angeles area, who have taken on elements of the West Coast sound but incorporate elements of their own structures, their own styles, and their new regions into their sound. More than that, though, this quintet draws on the individual talents of its members to form a series of strong textures. While the bandmembers have extended solos and explorations, there's a... read more
Tito Carrillo - Urbanessence
by Carmel de Soto, Jazz Music Archives
Tito Carrillo's latest album, "Urbanessence" on Origin Records, is a must-hear. This trumpet player and composer is mixing it up, blending jazz, salsa, Latin jazz, gospel, blues, funk, and soul to create a unique and magical musical experience. Carrillo even included an original track from Phil Koceril to mix things up even more.
Carrillo's ensemble is a powerhouse, featuring himself on trumpet, Troy Roberts on tenor and soprano saxophones,... read more
Jeff Johnson - The Art of Falling
by Charles Walker, Jazz Review
When making lists of the most innovative contemporary jazz musicians, many denounce what they see as pure American centrism, an inability to look beyond the shores of jazz's homeland. What this falls short of is the tendency to confine those lists even further to New York, Chicago, and possibly one or two other major metropolitan areas. That's where the audiences are, so that's where the talent goes, or so the argument runs.
What bassist... read more
Hal Galper Trio - Airegin Revisited
by Dave Sumner, emusic Review
Listening to the Hal Galper Trio perform is like watching fireflies? they?re a swarm of activity as they bounce off one another and flit through the air, but ostensibly pretty as they light up the night. Galper has his own sound. It?s not dramatically different from the pack, but its singular to him, and its never boring, even when it flirts with a straight-ahead modern approach. Joining him are pros Jeff Johnson on bass and John Bishop on... read more
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Ken Micallef, JazzTimes
This spirited romp by top-tier jazz professionals through the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn is long overdue. Though many pay lip service to their twin genius, the pair seem almost forgotten in popular culture. No massive vinyl reissue campaigns by major labels, no racy docudramas, no Record Store Day limited editions.
Bassist and educator Rodney Whitaker has studied the classic work of Ellington and Strayhorn since he was a... read more
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Intrada
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A throwback to the glory days of arrangers, Slonaker is a cat working in the shadows of Hollywood composing and arranging for loads of shows and movies that you wouldn't know he had a hand in unless you hang around for the credits, in small type. A dynamic set with a big band populated by the crime of contemporary jazz, this is one of those sets that looks forward while looking back. He reveres the past enough that he won't make you forget... read more
Ben Thomas Tango Project - The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle
by Eric Olson, Earshot Jazz
Not quite an accordion, nor exactly an oversized harmonica, coming off somewhere between a blown reed instrument and a bowed string, the indelible, somewhat nasally bandoneon — the melodic mainstay of traditional tango music — is frequently a clarion call to the dancefloor.
But not always! On The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle, the newest album from the Ben Thomas Tango Project, the bandoneon functions as the most outspoken member of a... read more
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