Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Michael Dease - MSU Jazz Trombones: Spartan Strong
by J.D. Considine, DownBeat Magazine (Hot Box)
Somewhere in the jazzosphere there may be those who, upon hearing Michael Dease play baritone sax on recent albums, thought, "Gosh, I wish there were more trombone." If so, this is the album for you. Spartan Strong, which showcases the young talent in his Michigan State University Jazz Trombone program, features 22 — count 'em, 22 — trombonists across its 14 tracks. Think of it as a big band after the leader fired all the trumpet and... read more
Rodney Whitaker with the Christ Church Cranbrook Choir - Cranbrook Christmas Jazz
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
This is such a tour de force recording that it's hard to know where to start---and it shouldn't be enjoyed just around Christmas. The bass ace rounds up family and friends, brings in a Detroit crew that is tops at what they do, picks songs that play out the history of Christmas and play the whole thing is a most top shelf way. We need a lot more teachers like Whitaker out there and we need them in all subjects. Amazing stuff that makes it the... read more
Diego Barber & Hugo Cipres - 411
by Domi, Republic of Jazz - Spain
The opening of the decidedly modern music on 411, the track entitled "Timanfaya," sounds like a spooky, welcome to a plugged-in netherworld. It begins with electric surges and wafflings, then glowing beeps punctuating electric washes before a shift into tune two, "all in," that sounds as if the late multiple reedman Eric Dolphy is hanging around the place, where he's hooked up with guitarist/composer Frank Zappa.
The music is the... read more
David Friesen - This Light Has No Darkness, Volume 1
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
In an era when most "statement albums" are focusing on the darkness, bassist David Friesen uses his Hemage Bass and faith to shine a bright and encouraging light. He teams up with pianist Paul Lees, percussionists Charlie Doggett and Rob More, and uses the arrangements, orchestrations and chamber ensemble programming of Kyle Gordon to create a richly textured and organic collection of sweeping ideas and moods.
You don't have to be a 5 Point... read more
Florian Hoefner - Luminosity
by VINCENZO ROGGERO, All About Jazz Italia
Il quartetto di Florian Hoefner -origini tedesche, residenza da anni a New York - è con Luminosity alla terza uscita discografica e si sente. L'intesa fra i musicisti è perfetta -Seamus Blake è subentrato a Mike Ruby ma sembra membro del gruppo da sempre -la musica ha la precisione di un orologio svizzero, fluisce senza scossoni e senza impedimenti. Vi è inoltre una chirurgica successione di brani dall'andamento lento e riflessivo con... read more
Ben Paterson - For Once In My Life
by Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes
The jazz audience contains people, present company not necessarily excepted, who are resistant to the charms of the Hammond B-3. They find it a somewhat vulgar instrument, with unpleasant, artificial sonorities. They all need to meet Ben Paterson. He may be the most purely musical organist out there. He is not into shrieking and raising hell. He is not about sweat and grease. His virtues are ones not normally associated with the B-3, such as... read more
Nanami Haruta - The Vibe
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)
5-STARS What a surprise is the debut album "The Vibe" by trombonist Nanami Haruta (*2001), which she recorded with her teacher, trombonist and baritone saxophonist Michael Dease (*1982), and a first-class rhythm section featuring Xavier Davis (p), Rodney Whitaker (db), and Ulysses Owens Jr. (dr), and which is reminiscent of the albums by the trombone duo J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding. The album's eleven tracks present Haruta and Dease in... read more
Clarence Penn - Monk: The Lost Files
by Nate Chinen, New York Times
Clarence Penn, like Antonio Sánchez, is a jazz drummer of exuberant poise, and on his own albums, he has addressed music both original and canonical. Monk: The Lost Files (Origin Records), a Thelonious Monk tribute out this week, clearly belongs to the second category. But Mr. Penn, leading a quartet with the saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, the pianist Donald Vega and the bassist Yasushi Nakamura, takes pains to retrofit Monk's tunes... read more
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