Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John McLean - Better Angels
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Guitarist John McLean's Better Angels is certainly difficult to classify. Some pieces, such as "Ready for the War," come across as modern pop. Others are closer to the music of the Pat Metheny Group, while a few tunes are modernized swing standards including one of the strangest versions of "Airmail Special" one will ever hear. While there are some individual spots, the emphasis during most of the selections is on the haunting ensemble sound... read more
Phil Kelly - Convergence Zone
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
If you watch any television at all it's a good bet you've heard Phil Kelly's sound. Kelly has worked for forty years as a composer/arranger in film and TV, including over 700 national TV commercials. For Convergence Zone Kelly has assembled some of the finest studio and jazz players in the Northwest for a swinging, sassy set of big band jazz.
The opener, "Damp Brown Places" ? a sendup of "Camp Town Races" ? sets an immediate tone for the... read more
Ark Ovrutski - Intersection
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
4 1/2 STARS Ukrainian bassist Ark Ovrutski arrived on American soil just over a decade ago, and he's been rather busy ever since. A nonstop go-getter from his earliest days, Ovrutski immediately made the most out of that move, steadily working his way into the ultra-competitive New York jazz scene and seeking out opportunities to further his playing and knowledge in formal academic settings and informal environments. Now, with a full gigging... read more
Nanami Haruta - The Vibe
by Doug Collette, Glide Magazine
The sleek tones of Nanami Haruta's trombone appropriately suffuse The Vibe as she and five other musicians wend their way patiently but authoritatively through eleven tracks recorded, mixed, and mastered by Corey DeRushia. That sensitive engineering emphasizes all the individual instruments, including Michael Dease's horns, Xavier Davis' piano, and the graceful rhythm section of bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. The... read more
Gabriel Guerrero & Quantum - Equilibrio
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Pianist Gabriel Guerrero leads a team of Seth Trachy/sax, Will Slater/b, Felix LEcaros/dr ad guests Fun Chern Hwei/str and Guillermo Barron/perc through a collection of well constructed originals. There is a rich elegance to much of the work, with "Present Moment" including creative work by Slater, while the bassist digs in deep for the leader on "Belong". Hwei's strings agonize on "Permanent Diversion Part II" and Barron percolates under... read more
Alon Farber Hagiga - Dreams I Dream
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)
4-STARS For me, it's always surprising how many first-class musicians and bands come from Israel, offering innovative sounds, including saxophonist Alon Farber, who founded his quartet Hagiga back in 2001 and has recorded four albums. Now his fifth album has been released, once again underscoring Farber's creativity and ability to create a unified work of art from very different musical styles and traditions. His long-time, outstanding... read more
Joachim Mencel - Brooklyn Eye
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Playing both piano and hurdy-gurdy, Joachim Mencel creates a wide variety of atmospheres with his post bop team of guitarist Steve Cardenas, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Rudy Royston. Colley and Royston are most flexible here, creating a circle dance on the dramatic "I'm Yo Man", mixing suave brushes and beat on "The Things" and rocking out with Cardenas on "The Last Of The Mohicans". Mencel's piano touch is modern and confident here, while... read more
David Friesen & Bob Ravenscroft - Passage
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
There's a bunch of different kinds of things going on here as these two improvisers of long standing friendship sat down together with nothing thought out ahead of time except getting out of each others way and rolling tape on improvs about their personal devotion to Christ, not religion. Didn't know how much quasi crime jazz could be squeezed out of the body of the host. It's a very personal record they invite you to join them... read more
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