Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John Stowell & Dan Dean - Rain Painting
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
4-STARS Now here's a uniquely compelling set from two of the Pacific Northwest's great individualists on one of jazz's most stalwart imprints. Guitarist John Stowell and multi-hyphenate Dan Dean have each made their respective marks on many Origin dates in the past. The former's instruments have figured into more than 25 recordings there, from solo sets to duo meetings with Dave Liebman and sideman appearances to a string of albums with... read more
Ark Ovrutski - Intersection
by Mike Jurkovic, Elmore Magazine
Since his arrival in America from Kiev in 2005, bassist/composer Ark Ovrutski has steadily gained deserved entrance into the NY jazz scene with his intuitive fusion of global musics and their vivid interplay, all of which is on full display on Intersection.
Bill Evans's imitable "Waltz for Debby" opens Intersection and finds this top-shelf quintet - trombonist Michael Dease, saxophonist Michael Thoms, pianist Helio Alves, percussionist... read more
Kiki Valera - Vivencias en Clave Cubana
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Cuban sounds of joy are delivered by Kiki Valera, who plays cuatro, guitar and percussion as he features the bel canto voice of Coco Freeman and a snappy team of Alex Baro/tp, Jose Alayo-Yanill Nario/b, Pedro Vargas/perc and guest vocalists Carlos Cascante, Joshuah De Jesus and Steve Guasch. The tunes are mostly composed by Valera and Freeman and are sizzling affairs with rich grooves and bright trumpet solos on pieces like "Mi Son" and... read more
Dan Cray - Meridies
by Darryl Daniels, The Jazz Page
On his latest, Meridies, pianist Dan Cray provides a fantastic portrait of contemporary quartet of musicians at work. Cray is joined by a terrific group comprised of Noah Preminger on saxophone, Clark Sommers on bass and Mark Ferber on drums, all whom provide solid musicianship in their respective chairs. The four musicians swing quite nicely on the uptempo tunes, and have a great sound on ballads as well. The recording is also a tremendous... read more
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by Dave Sumner, emusic Review
Nice straight-ahead session with an appealing accent on the blues. Featuring Terell Stafford on trumpet and Gary Versace on piano, drummer Thompson bundles up a quintet into a warm ball of music. This is the kind of jazz you want drifting out into the street just before you step into the club? strong musicianship, tight compositions, and the room for each artist to stretch out and add something slightly unexpected. An album of one solid tune... read more
Rodney Whitaker with the Christ Church Cranbrook Choir - Cranbrook Christmas Jazz
by Derrick Bang, Jazz Scan
Speaking of music in the church, Christmas-themed jazz worship services seem to be gaining traction across the country. The Rev. Bill Carter, who holds forth at the aforementioned First Presbyterian Church of Clark's Summit, has led his Presbybop combo in a Christmas Eve jazz concert for many years now.
A few states west, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, famed jazz bassist Rodney Whitaker and his sextet have made a tradition of joining the... read more
Joe Locke - Force of Four
by Ken Watkins, 100 Greatest Jazz albums
Following the fusion influenced "Live In Seattle" (with Geoffrey Keezer) in 2006 and "Sticks And Strings" (with Jonathan Kreisberg) in 2007, "Force of Four" continues vibe player Joe Locke's very strong recent run of inventive albums.
The new quartet ? Joe Locke (vibraphone), Robert Rodriguez (piano and electric piano), Ricardo Rodriguez (bass) and Jonathan Blake (drums) ? is the ideal vehicle for a pleasing programme of innovative post bop.... read more
David Friesen - This Light Has No Darkness, Volume 1
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The multi-instrumentalist David Friesen has a long history in the jazz world, and here along with Paul Lees, Charlie Doggett and Rob Moore he fleshes out 12 tracks orchestrated by Kyle Gordon for a 33 piece orchestra.
"Recovery For Two" starts the listen with a charming dreaminess, where Friesen's well timed bass plucking is met with calm winds and gorgeous strings, and "Motivation" follows with a graceful, cinematic appeal that uses builds... read more
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