Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Walt Blanton / Tony Branco / John Nasshan - Monuments
by Forrest Dylan Bryant, JazzTimes, July/August 2008
Listeners who associate the concept of free improvisation with harsh chaos or impenetrable obscurity will be pleasantly surprised by this Las Vegas-based trio, which wanders amiably through seven open-ended yet even-tempered pieces. This grounding is largely due to drummer Johhn Nasshan, who sticks closely to bop-based rhythms and keeps even the knottiest excursions in the pocket. Branco's piano pulls in the opposite direction, with deep... read more
Jessica Williams - Touch
by Fred Bouchard, All About Jazz - New York
Jessica Williams lights candles, sets moods and tells her deep stories in nobody's hurry, revolving a leisurely kaleidoscope of intimate variations on Touch. She says, "Neither life nor music is a contest." No more hammering, her fine style features internal linear dynamics and remarkable voicings. Her chiaroscuro narratives waft through seductive veils of fog and smoke. Her "I Loves You Porgy" is as elegantly shaded and emotionally tidal... read more
Jeff Johnson - Free
by Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
Recorded live at the Old Town Ale House in Seattle, WA, Jeff Johnson and his cohorts have fashioned almost an hour's worth of artistic modern music expertly played by these Northwest jazz artists. The play list is well crafted and balanced with four originals by the trio and one each of a jazz and a classic standard. This CD is a set of six cerebral, intense performances that require a commitment on the part of the listener matching that of the... read more
Hal Galper / Jeff Johnson / John Bishop - Furious Rubato
by Ken Dryden, All About Jazz.com
Hal Galper's aptly named Furious Rubato, finds the pianist opening the listener's ears by stretching the tempo of the tunes and frequently seeming to be playing independently of his rhythm section without ever losing sight of the harmony within each song, approaching free jazz but never abandoning post-bop. He's accompanied by bassist Jeff Johnson (who has worked with Galper regularly in the past) and drummer John Bishop, both of whom excel in... read more
Benjamin Boone | Philip Levine - The Poetry of Jazz
by Mike Greenblatt, The Aquarian
Jack Kerouac Would've Loved This
Back in the day, '50s beat poets like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Gregory Corso would recite their poems to live jazz. The relationship between jazz and poetry has been diluted in the intervening years but, hell, poetry is meant to be spoken aloud (and trending as more and more jazz albums these days include spoken-word passages). On the brilliant new The Poetry Of Jazz... read more
Bruce Williamson - Standard Transmission
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz.com
One of the early genius elements of small ensemble jazz manifested November 26, 1945, when Charlie Parker entered the studio with Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, and, using the harmonic foundation of Ray Noble's "Cherokee," recorded a new melody, call "Ko-Ko." He went on to do the same with the Hamilton/Lewis composition "How High The Moon," which became "Ornithology," and Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose," which became "Scrapple from the... read more
Francis Coletta | Jonas Tauber - Port Said Street
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
Here is a duo of guitar and cello featuring two musicians who communicate with simple elegance. It is a performance of rare intimacy, not unlike what you might hear in a home concert, if you were extremely lucky. Coletta plays what he terms an electro acoustic guitar, seemingly a conflict in terms. But then you hear it, and amazingly, it doesn't sound quite electric nor acoustic. And it's a beautiful, sometimes poignant sound. Tauber plays the... read more
Jessica Williams - Touch
by Mike Shanley, JazzTimes
Touch marks the second time Williams has recorded live at Seattle's Triple Door, and the intimacy shows up in strong reworkings of classics and her own thoughtful compositions. "I Loves You Porgy" feels gentle and romantic but not saccharine. The intro to "I Cover the Waterfront" sounds like Art Tatum channeling Thelonious Monk. Her left hand takes the spotlight in the lower register later in the tune, and Williams adds some... read more
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