Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Bruce Williamson - Standard Transmission
by James Henry Smith, All About Jazz
Woodwind multi-instrumentalist Bruce Williamson features his longtime compatriot and mentor, pianist Art Lande, in this collection of mostly standards, breathing new life into old melodies. Except for "Large Barge," a Williamson original tune reflecting his impressions of a lazy barge on the Ohio River, this quartet outing contains only material that will be well-known to seasoned jazz listeners. But these Williamson/Lande arrangements, each... read more
Scenes - Rinnova
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
The trio Scenes, consisting of guitarist John Stowell, bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer John Bishop, had been working together for nearly a decade by the time of their second recording session. Johnson and Bishop are very familiar from working with one another in pianist Hal Galper's trio as well, while Stowell is a refreshing change from guitarists who hog the spotlight with busy solos, opting instead to make ample use of space. Johnson... read more
Pharez Whitted - For the People
by Jon Ross, Downbeat Magazine
"Watusi Boogaloo," the first track on Chicago-based trumpeter Pharez Whitted's fourth album, starts things off with a funky, in-the-pocket groove; the exceptional guitarist Bobby Broom sets up a one-note, rhythmic vamp before Whitted and saxophonist Eddie Bayard ascend and descend, navigating a medium-tempo, spiraling figure. It's a laidback melody, deliberately navigated with ease, giving the tune a light, casual nature grounded in a... read more
Peter Epstein and Idée Fixe - Abstract Realism
by Stef Gijssels, Freejazz Blog
As a leader, saxophonist Peter Epstein released three modern jazz CDs, one Portuguese CD, a solo sax record with some classical music and some improvisations, a fantastic world jazz album ("Lingua Franca"), and all this in a quite irregular time span, of which most ten years ago and not much lately.
He is a musician with broad technical skills, open to many genres, and that seems to have been his problem in creating a specific profile.... read more
Geof Bradfield - Our Roots
by Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
Chicago saxophonist Geof Bradfield long has been drawn to the music of Lead Belly, and a while ago he got to do something about it. Invited by impresario Chris Anderson to pick a favorite album and perform its music at the Fulton Street Collective, Bradfield chose saxophonist Clifford Jordan's homage to Lead Belly, "These Are My Roots." But Bradfield felt free to reimagine the work according to his own tastes, the venture inspiring him to... read more
Dave Liebman | John Stowell - Petite Fleur: The Music of Sidney Bechet
by Larry Blumenfeld, Jazziz
The most striking thing about the recent release Petite Fleur: The Music of Sidney Bechet is the sound of Dave Liebman's soprano saxophone on the opening title track, Bechet's best-known composition. That sound is large and pungent, with each held note featuring a bold and tightly wound vibrato--a far cry from the looser, more urgent sound, often leaning provocatively in and out of a given tone, that we've come to expect from... read more
Anthony Branker and Word Play - Uppity
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
On Uppity, Dr. Anthony Branker, Director of Jazz Studies at Princeton University, has created a life-affirming, sometimes funky, and straight-through beautiful set of sounds?an ode to the resiliency and basic goodness of the human spirit.
Branker began his jazz journey as a trumpeter, but complications from a brain aneurysm in 1999 brought his trumpet playing days to an end. He is now the composer and musical director of his Ascent and Word... read more
Joel Miller - Swim
by Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
In his sixth album, his first for Origin, Montreal tenor saxophonist Joel Miller again makes music that melds intricacy and accessibility. This time out, he is aided greatly by pianist Geoffrey Keezer, asJoel Miller Swim virtuosic as Miller in bringing relaxation to the complex lines in many of the leader's compositions. The young veteran bassist Fraser Hollins and drummer Greg Ritchie provide Miller and Keezer strength and flexibility... read more
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