Josh's piano and compositional work got high marks from me in issue # 155, and this new 2017 release has even more sensitive songs... per the liner notes, it's somewhat of a "love song" for his native city, Los Angeles... you'll certainly hear hear his creative genius and jazz sensitivity on great tunes like the 7:04 "The Architect"... his playing on this one takes me (way back) to the "old L.A.", the one I remember from the early 1960's, when... read more
Following the magnificent "Ontology" (2019) is linked to it through the piece that was titled and that here is reinvented in two versions: in quartet and duet with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, co-producer of the album. Porén, if not a previous work or saxophonist composed from traditional melodies and oozed more from studio work, "Contradictio" aims more at live performance of a quartet that is completed with a Portuguese rhythmic base: Carlos... read more
Beautiful things happen when the heart is fully invested in everything you do, and one of the best examples I can think of is that which we see happen in music and in Jazz time and again. A publicist I know out of Israel sent me an email one day about this female guitarist whom I had never heard of, asked me if I wanted for her to send me the CD, and I said yes; the rest pretty much happened without rhyme or reason, which is how anybody should... read more
The pianist Keigo Hirakawa has a lot of experience in the area of playing jazz music, and these lively 8 tracks welcome Rafael Statin, Brandon Scott Coleman, Robert Hurst, and Alex White.
The title track opens the listen with Hirakawa's meticulous key progressions alongside Statin's soulful sax and White's stunning drum acrobatics, and "Far Above" follows with a breezy demeanor of soft guitar from Coleman that suits the melodic piano.
The... read more
Dave Liebman has an intense musical curiosity, prompting him to plan for many future projects simultaneously in the midst of teaching, touring and composing, the only restraint being able to find the funding and time. Liebman has never been an easy artist to categorize stylistically because of his wide range of interests and willingness to collaborate with others in a diverse array of settings.
Liebman breaks new ground here by choosing... read more
Inventive world beat jazz. Nothing so radical about that, or is there? This bass led, international quartet lives up to the elements on the hype sheet. Intertwining Weather Report with Headhunters with various world sounds, this crew does it all and does it on point in a creative and fascinating way. Top shelf stuff for the sitting down jazz fan, it?s not egghead jazz---it reaches down and strikes a variety of primal chords you might not have... read more
'A general communication of good will.' East and West unite in the album 'Metaraga'
"East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet," Rudyard Kipling wrote. But violinist Purnaprajna Bangere is out to prove that not only can they meet, they can become one.
Bangere, a mathematician and musician based in Lawrence, and the Purna Loka Ensemble have recently released "Metaraga," an album that uses... read more
The first major album of the young New York pianist and composer Brittany Anjou, is a suite in five parts composed around esperanto, the international "built" language.
As for the English title of Brittany Anjou's album, "Reciprocal Love", which becomes "Enamiĝo Reciprokataj" (pronounced En-äh-mee-joh Reh-sih-pro-kah-tye ), the same goes for for the traditional language of jazz piano. She likes to translate it into something very... 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
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
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