Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Jeff Johnson - The Art of Falling
by Jason West, All About Jazz
I like living with CDs. I like to leave them in the player for a week or two and see how they grow. I'm not worried if, at first, I don't hear everything that's going on. Just as long as there's something - a few magnetic bars, a particularly firey exchange, a pregnant moment in the music - that demands another listen. So it is with The Art of Falling.
The phrase that hooked me comes at the hands of pianist Randy Porter, and it occurs in the... 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
Bobby Rozario - Healer
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris-Move
If you were a teenager when Santana's Amigos or Europa came out in 1976, Bobby Rozario's Healer will strike a deeply familiar chord, the same surge of energy, the same feverish Latin pulse that once set the air on fire. But here, there's something else woven into the fabric, a dose of jazz fusion, a whisper of African soul. Rozario's sound is shaped by his dual Indian and Brazilian heritage, which seems to guide him toward a musical... read more
Nnenna Freelon - Beneath the Skin
by Herb Boyd, DownBeat
There's an unrelieved lament to Nnenna Freelon's latest release, and only occasionally do the songs break from a slow, mournful narrative.
The expressive range of Freelon's voice — and its versatility from tune to tune evokes Aminata Moseka (Abbey Lincoln), Nina Simone and Billie Holiday — soars brilliantly on "Changed," but she quickly settles back into a gloomy sphere, almost tearful on "Widow's Song." On "Dark and Lovely," her vocal... read more
Randy Halberstadt - Parallel Tracks
by George Fendel, Jazz Scene
Hey, if you want to talk about Seattle's three or four best piano practitioners, you'd better put Randy Halberstadt on the list. Right around the top. I heard him a few years back here in PDX accompanying singer Meredith d'Ambrosio, and remember being duly impressed. Well, here's Randy with a couple more giants, Jeff Johnson, bass and Gary Hobbs, drums. This exciting trio works seamlessly together on standards like Moonray, In The Wee Small... read more
David Friesen with Orchestra and Quartet - Testimony
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Like a European jazzbo that just burnishes deeper with age, Friesen tucks 50 years of bass acery under his belt and heads off to Ukraine to visit his ancestor's stomping ground. Of course, along the way, he hooks up with some Ukraine musos and delivers the kind of state of the art performance that defies almost everything. A highly creative instrumental work, he takes it to places heretofore unexpected and delivers a tour de force that could... read more
Jaiman Crunk - Encounters
by Editor, Die digitale Jazz - Zeitung
Supported by a cast of some of the biggest names in jazz today, composer and guitarist, Jaiman Crunk, presents a variety of original compositions in his debut album, ?Encounters?. The album includes compositions ranging from a refreshing ballad entitled, ?What You Know?, featuring pianist, Bill Anschell, to an upbeat composition full of colorful sounds and harmonies entitled, ?She Stepped Away?, featuring Randy Brecker (Flugelhorn), Ada... read more
Joonsam - A Door
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Joonsam is a bassist that brings together a wide palate of sounds and colors. The core trio with Aaron Parks/p and Nate Woods/dr are augmented by a rotating team of Ralph Alessi/tp, Ben Monder/g, and a handful of cameos. Wood rocks hard with Monder's guitar on "Zadrak" and the trio rustles to Alessi's horn on "Whirlwind." Reflective and quiet, "Love Trauma" is enhanced by Yeahwon Shin's vocals" and Chung Eun Han's bamboo flute reflects like a... read more
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