Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Clarence Penn - Monk: The Lost Files
by James Hale, Downbeat
If you were unaware of Clarence Penn's sharp, creative work with trumpeter Dave Douglas, or his years of empathetic, intelligent playing as a member of Maria Schneider's orchestra, you could be forgiven for assuming that Monk: The Lost Files was one too many recordings of Thelonious Monk classics. Penn's audacious interpretation of "Well You Needn't" quickly lays any reservations to rest. All stuttering beats and slippery... read more
Laurie Antonioli - The Constant Passage of time
by Ken Franckling, Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes
Singer Laurie Antonioli has a gem here, one that reveals the many facets of her musical talent. She's got perfect pitch, the ability to immerse herself into the band she works with (a musician whose instrument is her voice), and she's a superb lyricist. This long-time educator chairs the vocal program at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley. Antonioli and her band-mates put fresh spins on a wide variety of source material including... read more
Upper Left Trio - Cycling
by Roman St. James, Jazz Review
"Cycling", the debut release by the Upper Left Trio is an absolutely stunning CD. The piano trio is the most basic of the jazz group configurations, but its simplicity inherently increases the difficulty in producing music that is either particularly innovative or engaging, for all but the most casual jazz listener. However, with this recording the Upper Left Trio � consisting of Charlie Doggett on drums, Clay Giberson on piano and Jeff Leonard... read more
Chris Walden Big Band & The St. John's Choir - Kurt Marti Suite
by Jack Bowers, Cadence, Jan-Mar 2008
Thanks to his enormous success over the past dozen years as a writer/arranger for film, television, and other media, Chris Walden is in a rather enviable position - able to assemble a big band comprised of blue-chip Hollywood studio musicians and couple it with the 100-member St. John's Choir from Hamburg, Germany, to present a musical rendition of sacred poems by Kurt Marti, an acclaimed lyricist who served as a priest in Switzerland until... read more
John Moulder - The Eleventh Hour
by Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
If Chicagoan John Moulder had decided to become a full-time jazz guitarist rather than a Catholic priest who plays guitar, he probably would be quite famous, for his virtuosity as an instrumentalist is matched by his ferocity as a performer. Then, again, he wouldn't be the man he is now, an artist who views faith and music as expressions of the same spirit, which may help explain why he sounds like no one else in jazz. That's clear once again... read more
Les DeMerle - Hittin' The Blue Notes, Vol. 1
by , JazzReview
There's no doubt from the downbeat of the first tune on Hittin' The Blue Notes--that tune being "Just Friends"--that this is a drummer's project. In the same way that, say, Art Blakey or Buddy Rich drove their bands, DeMerle establishes an undeniable presence that characterizes his band as well.
First of all, Les DeMerle kicks off the track with an 8-bar introduction (played in 8 seconds), effectively preparing the listener for the intensity... read more
Bug - The GADfly
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Bug are built around the talents of a handful of players, initially from the Los Angeles area, who have taken on elements of the West Coast sound but incorporate elements of their own structures, their own styles, and their new regions into their sound. More than that, though, this quintet draws on the individual talents of its members to form a series of strong textures. While the bandmembers have extended solos and explorations, there's a... read more
Clay Giberson - Pastures
by Hobart Taylor, KUCI - Irvine, CA
Pianist/composer Giberson is elegant and eloquent, both on his own charming earworms, but also on a jazz reworking of elder Joseph Brackett's Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts". He is joined by Donny McCaslin on various reed instruments, and occasionally a string quartet.... read more
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