Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Benjamin Boone with the Ghana Jazz Collective - Joy
by David Whiteis, JazzTimes
The Ghana Jazz Collective (saxophonist Bernard Ayisa, keyboardist Victor Dey, Jr., bassist Bright Osei, and drummer Frank Kissi) are an Accra-based contingent whose weekly sessions at the +233 Jazz Bar have become legendary among local aficionados as well as savvy-eared visitors from out of town. Their sound might challenge some listeners' stereotypes about African jazz musicians—rooted solidly in American funk-fusion and seasoned with healthy... read more
Phil Kelly - Convergence Zone
by John Tapscott, amazon.com
Phil Kelly One of the Best Big Band Jazz CDs of '03 January 19, 2004 Kelly moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1998 and put together a band consisting of the top musicians in that area. Finally, in August 2003, the NW Prevailing Winds (with guests Pete Christlieb, Gary Smulyan and Andy Martin aboard) recorded "Convergence Zone." Both the band and the performance are outstanding. This is defintely one of the top big band jazz albums of 2003.... read more
Lincoln Goines - The Art of the Bass Choir
by Cedric Hendrix, CirdecSongs
When it comes to more experimental records, there's a fine line between innovative and self-indulgent. Bassist Lincoln Grimes has successfully remained on the right side of the tracks. Along with a stable of legendary bassist guests — among them Victor Wooten and John Pattitucci — Goines looks to push the bass in fascinating directions without giving the listener more information than is necessary. Goines also has the good taste to step back... read more
John Stowell | Michael Zilber - Shot Through With Beauty
by John Barron, The Jazz Word
Like minds converge on Shot Through With Beauty, a quartet release co-led by guitarist John Stowell and saxophonist Michael Zilber, two stalwarts of West Coast progressive jazz. Joined by bassist John Shifflett and drummer Jason Lewis, who each contribute a composition to the session, the group achieves collaborative serenity through ten tracks of original material and modern-jazz gems from the likes of Kenny Wheeler and... read more
Brent Jensen with The Acoustic Jazz Quartet - The Sound of A Dry Martini
by Michael Bettine, JazzReview.com
Review: The title of this CD paraphrases what the late saxophonist Paul Desmond said he wanted to sound like. Idaho based Brent Jensen creates not so much a tribute album (which seem to be in vogue these days) as he does an album that captures the same essence that Desmond had.
Neither a hip bopper, nor a cool West Coaster, Desmond often seems to fall between the cracks of American jazz history. Best known for his long association with... read more
Sarah Partridge - Bright Lights and Promises: Redefining Janis Ian
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
5-STARS How did nobody think to go here before? With a glut of fine Joni Mitchell tributes on the market and a couple of engrossing Laura Nyro nods out there, how is it that no creative spirits in the jazz or cabaret camps thought to make the full-on jump to Janis Ian before now? Hearing Sarah Partridge dig into Ian's body of work makes this concept seem like a no-brainer - an incredibly natural fit, in fact - but that may very well... read more
Brent Jensen with The Acoustic Jazz Quartet - The Sound of A Dry Martini
by Chris Spector, midwest record
Sax man Jensen does more than make a tribute to Paul Desmond, he gets inside the music that was inside Desmond's head and connects it all for the listener once again without this being an homage that doesn't break any new ground. Walking the fine line between tribute and exploration, he let's the music speak for itself with the quiet fire that was loaded into it all along. Hitting all the high spots in the canon without overly relying on tent... read more
Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble - The Atwood Suites
by Friedrich Kunzmann, All About Jazz
In a way, the Atwood Suites have been in the works for almost two decades. When Kenny Wheeler approached Toronto native Andrew Rathbun in search for a band in 2001, the former furthermore inquired if the latter would like a composition of his own penning to be performed beside Wheeler's "Suite Time Suite." Consequently, the "Power Politics Suite," which makes for the second half of the first CD, was born, with Wheeler's and vocalist Luciana... read more
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