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
Taking the mantle of The Manhattan Transfer to the next level, the team of Peter Peter Eldridge, Lauren Kinhan, Darmon Meader and Kim Nazarian mix rich harmonies, vocalese and strong soloing in a wide range of jazz colors and palates. The vocal textures are oil color rich, as they display on the gorgeous a cappela p ieces "Los Tres Golpes" while giving some linguistic percussion to an R&B-ish "Moments in a Mirror." A palpable piano lurks as the... read more
Alto sax player Brent Jensen here releases his third album, now in combination with flugelhornist Rob Walker. The theme of the album is creations based on the many stylings of Miles Davis, with the compositions stacked with originals from the pair. The album opens up with a bit of hard bop derived from a solo on a recording of Straight, No Chaser, where they fuse a little West Coast cool in for good measure. It Could Happen to You is the first... read more
Les DeMerle and his wife, vocalist Bonnie Eisele, released a previous album of Gypsy jazz-inspired pieces back in 2009 that showed some hints of greatness when DeMerle and Eisele were able to combine effectively with their Gypsy jazz counterparts, and a bit of musical confusion when they weren't able to meet in the middle. Here, the two factions work together much more cleanly. Where DeMerle and Eisele had a tendency toward power in the past,... read more
R|E|D|S is a quartet made up of an American expatriate and three Danes: baritone saxophonist Ed Epstein, guitarist Bjarne Roupe, bassist Goran Schelin and drummer Dennis Drud. Epstein and Roupe are close friends, and the saxophonist wanted a vehicle in which to collaborate with the guitarist. With this exegesis, the quartet was born.
The baritone saxophone makes for a challenging combo leader, in much the same way a football defensive back... read more
Saxes (Zilber), guitars (Stowell) and a rhythm section play airy melodic mainstream jazz with spacey elements in this live recording from the Bay Area. Traditional improvisational moves and sequential solos abound. Always interesting (says I damning with faint praise), the performances really take off during "Quantum Theory", "Stowell What", a deconstructed "My Funny Valentine", and a John Scofield tune "Wabash... read more
Listeners can often discern the leader in a recoding date from the first few notes. That's not the case with the Richard Sussman Quintet's Live at Sweet Rhythm.
On the opening track, "Waiting," the full band jumps in with both feet. Trumpeter Tom Harrell and saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi ride freely atop the fiesty rhythms laid down by pianist Sussman, bassist Mike Richmond and drummer Jeff Williams. True, the leader steps into the... read more
The renowned bassist (and composer) Marlene Rosenberg (already appreciated with the likes of Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, Teddy Edwards, Harold Mabern, Bobby Watson) has assembled for this recording a formidable trio of innate elegance, with a giant of the piano ( Kenny Barron ) and a series of compositions that, in the most classic of ways, turn from the moving ballad (" Rain ", by Barron, in duo piano / double bass) and originals in 3/4 ("Circle... read more
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect