Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Brian Gephart - Standing On Two Feet
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A Chicago jazz set all the way, this is what happens when a Chicago sax man shows his New York counterparts that we know how to honk it here as well. A set of originals played with the verve and bluster of a proud creator, we might not have a Brooklyn Bridge to practice under but we ain't no second city when it comes to some honking sax. Hot... read more
Bobby Broom - Bobby Broom Plays for Monk
by David Kane, Cadence
On Bobby Broom Plays for Monk, Sonny Rollins veteran strummer Bobby Broom trots out an enjoyable collection of well-known Monk pieces. Monk's instrumental style was so idiosyncratic that few have dared follow him down that particular path so his influence has tended to be greater as a composer. Of course, he was also idiosyncratic as a composer too, but this is on of his strengths--no two Monk tunes sound alike. This makes it relatively easy... read more
David Friesen - My Faith, My Life
by Raul da Gama, JazzdaGama
Nervous systems go haywire when confronted with the gravitas of the bass violin displayed with majesty at the hands of a virtuoso albeit, in this instance, that instrument is genetically somewhat considerably re-engineered, proverbially speaking. The impact, delivered by David Friesen - the virtuoso in question -is, nevertheless, the same. But there is also something different about this double-disc My Faith, My Life by Mr Friesen turns his... read more
Dana Hall - Into the Light
by John Barron, All About Jazz
Chicago-based drummer Dana Hall makes his debut as a leader with Into the Light, a provocative quintet recording featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford, saxophonist Tim Warfield, Jr., pianist Bruce Barth, and bassist Rodney Whitaker.
Herbie Hancock's "I Have a Dream" opens the session with an explosive punch. Hall's uncompromising intensity makes clear exactly who is leading the date. Along with Barth's punchy Fender Rhodes comping, the drummer... read more
Michael Waldrop - Time Frames
by Michael Ferber, Michael's Jazz Blog (Switzerland)
Drummer, percussionist and composer Michael Waldrop has released a fantastic album featuring the marimba called 'Time Frames'. The 15 songs, most of them originals by Michael Waldrop, present a wide spectrum of styles and sounds, from the origin of the marimba as an African instrument to eclectic contemporary compositions. Waldrop surrounds himself on the album with other renowned and musically diverse percussionists like Gordon Stout, Brad... read more
Hugo Fernandez New Grounds Quartet - Ozean
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
The line between straight-ahead jazz and fusion (or, heaven help us, "smooth jazz") can be fuzzy and the borderland it defines can be treacherous: tread carefully and you can create exciting and forward-thinking music; get careless and you might slip into a puddle of schlock. On his new album, guitarist Hugo Fernandez offers a master class in negotiating this difficulty: from his tone to his chord progressions, he delivers lush textures and... read more
New Stories - Hope is in the Air
by Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times
This Elmo Hope revival project exudes class. It includes cameos by seven guest musicians (most notably producer/trumpeter Don Sickler and alto saxophonist Bobby Porcelli), but is defined by New Stories: pianist Marc Seales, bassist Doug Miller and drummer John Bishop, who have constituted the best piano trio in Seattle, Wash., for 17 years.
Elmo Hope composed quirky, beautiful, unforgettable music, now all but lost in the shadows of history.... read more
Sarah Partridge - Bright Lights and Promises: Redefining Janis Ian
by Simon Redley, Music Republic Magazine
4-STARS Janis Ian. Folk legend. Singer. Songwriter. A star for five decades. A songwriter's songwriter. It takes a brave soul to set out to "redefine" her songs at all, but in another genre and style altogether requires a giant leap of faith.
US jazz artist Sarah Partridge is that person who dreamed up this project; to reinterpret some of Janis' well known and lesser known songs in her own style. She has Janis appear on the record... read more
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