Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Robby Ameen - Diluvio
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
40 years in as an all star, all pro drummer for the crème of the crop and it's only his third outing as a leader. Strutting his Afro-Cuban stuff, he doesn't play it linearly for tourists, he makes it totally caliente and keeps you guessing what's coming around the next bend. A wonderfully wild work out abetted by a hand picked crew of all stars in their own rights, this is some out of the ordinary jazz that merrily hits the... read more
Dann Zinn - Day of Reckoning
by FILIPE FREITAS, Jazz Trail
Throughout the album Day of Reckoning, the fifth from tenorist Dann Zinn, creative freedom emerges with straightforward structural discipline within a post-bop realm that oftentimes refers to the sonic worlds of Michael Brecker, Sonny Stitt, Jerry Bergonzi, and Phil Woods. In the company of technically developed musicians such as pianist Taylor Eigsti, a frequent collaborator, bassist Zach Ostroff, and drummer Mark Ferber, Zinn blends familiar... read more
Deardorf / Peterson Group - Portal
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
With an urbane, beautifully harmonic, clean-edged sound, Portal seems an updated brand of West Coast cool, by way of the Northwest (Seattle) this time around, like a mix of Chico Hamilton's chamber bands, the fluid guitar work of Wes Montgomery, and that dry, cool approach of Paul Desmond's sax work stirred up in one groove-oriented band. Dave Peterson's guitar combined with George Cables' piano kick the harmonic mix up a notch or three on a set... read more
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by Michael Nastos, Cadence
The modern mainstream, straight ahead jazz quintet is not a format completely exhausted in originality as proven by drummer Rich Thompson, his cast of famed all-stars, and local heroes. Keyboardist Gary Versace and trumpeter Terell Stafford are clearly the front-runners of this date, with Thompson and Jeff Campbell in solid support, and Doug Stone?s tenor as an occasional interesting flavor packet. An associate professor of music at the Eastman... read more
Ziggurat Quartet - Calculated Gestures
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence Magazine
Calculated Gestures is by a group of veteran musicians from the Pacific Northwest who experiment with a gamut of sounds, using complex hip-hoppish beats on "XoBoX," snaky Indian melodies on "Vindaloo" and minimalist phrase repetition on "Oregonian Monkey Chant." These pieces often have the piano, bass, and drums locking into angular and fragmented rhythms while saxophonist Barber picks his way through on the top like he's climbing over barbed... read more
Steve Million - What I Meant to Say
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Four jazzbos became good friends in Kansas City in the 70s before they drifted away on the sands of time. But it didn't make their friendship drift away as 2019 brought them back together to kick it out as a crew one more time. Deceptively deeper than hotel lobby music, these cats know what to do to power a piano quartet to great heights by breaking a minimum of sweat. Simply a tasty workout that's on the money throughout and always hitting... read more
Dan Cray - Meridies
by Bob Doerschuk, Downbeat, October 2012
****
Listening to Dan Cray and his group, one is reminded that underplaying can cast more light than a sky full of fireworks. That's not to say that there aren't busy moments on Meridies; there are plenty, especially in ostinati that the piano and bass play in unison to build momentum and sometimes to thread intricate rhythms together. But these occur only where they makes sense. Even with such elements, an impression of spaciousness... read more
John Stowell / Michael Zilber - Basement Blues
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Here's a soothingly swinging album by a quartet lead by saxist Michael Zilber and guitarist John Stowell. Together with John Shifflett/b and Jason/dr they mix a pair of covers with their own well crafted and wide ranging originals.
Zilber's tenor is rich and full on the kinetic read of Bill Evans' "Very Early" while he gets warm and bluesy on the spacious "Violin Memory." He gets a bit fragmented with Stowell on the bopping interpretation... read more
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