Bobby Broom, joined by Dennis Carroll (bass) and Kobi Watkins (drums), plays eight Thelonious Monk compositions in this guitar trio take on the great pianist's music.
Jazz musicians have never found it easy to capture the wonder and the eccentricity of Monk's music in any terms other than his own. Yet that has not stopped generations of players from taking on this challenge, so pervasive is his influence as one of the initiators of bop. Many,... read more
5-STARS Lenny Bruce might have skewered it with his skit, "Psychopathia Sexualis." Mike Myers' mildly misogynist poet might have parodied it in the movie I Married an Axe Murderer (1993). It has been dismissed as a late-fifties fad associated with the Beats. And, yet, the desire of poets and jazz musicians to combine their art forms has proven surprisingly durable.
Sometimes, the practice is just plain embarrassing and made worse by... read more
Best of 2002: Top of the Portland pop
01/03/03
"Upper Road," Clay Giberson (Origin Records): A young jazz pianist who plays in Dan Balmer's Go By Train trio, Giberson's previous solo album, "Mirador," was a strong straight-ahead set. Here, though, he fashions a more contemporary sound that has the intelligence, lyricism, depth and accessibility to appeal to fans of, say, Pat Metheny. Balmer, drummer Carlton Jackson and others lend a hand,... read more
4-STARS Jazz music has proliferated through generations traditionally by means of the oral tradition—meaning that knowledge is passed on by mentors, some by personal connection and others by more casual means. In modern times, this tradition lives alongside the jazz school phenomenon, where classrooms and studios incubate talent, while students inescapably still must pay their dues on the bandstand, playing with musicians that are more... read more
Hal Galper has long been a part of the jazz scene, having recorded extensively as a leader over the past four decades and appearing on sessions by Sam Rivers, Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Lee Konitz and Chet Baker, among others. Galper began with classical piano studies at an early age, spent time at Berklee and absorbed much from several Boston-based artists before leaving for New York City. Galper began leading his own groups in the ?70s.... read more
This jazz trio is simply amazing, with a unique combination of instruments - trumpet, piano, and bass. Interestingly, I don't even miss the drums. The three musicians mesh very well with each other as a creative music organism. I kept thinking they were amoeba-like, conforming to each artist's individual sound space. This trio played weekly gigs for a year plus before recording this self-produced debut album in a single day. Their collective... read more
Translated from Japanese: In Friday of last week, it is said from customers "Why do not you listen to Hal Galper's new score?", I am ordering to Amazon yet I have not received it yet, but I really wanted to ask "Do you want me?". I immediately pressed the play button.
Bergonzi felt a little customer-oriented, but this is also wonderful. After listening at the shop quickly, I listened to the tenth times with the loud sound at the store again... read more
On Time Traveler, her first album in more than a decade, Nnenna Freelon considers the passage of time through the prism of personal loss. The album is a tribute to the memory of her husband of 40 years, noted architect Phil Freelon, who died in 2019.
Among the more emotional expressions on the album is this cover of "Time in a Bottle," a posthumous No. 1 hit for singer-songwriter Jim Croce. With a sharp band arrangement by her pianist, Miki... 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
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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