Hadley Caliman recorded a few albums in the 1970s then didn't record as a leader for several decades until after retiring from his teaching job, then came a series of CDs issued by Origin, of which this is the third. This reunion with fellow tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb marks their first opportunity to play together since the mid-1960s, aside from one brief meeting in the forty plus year stretch leading up to this record date. Many two... read more
Valera comes to making a great record organically. He's part of a 100 year old Cuban music dynasty and he was influenced by seminal jazzbo guitar greats. Then he hit's the bulls eye in crafting the kind of set that maintains it's ethnic purity while being the kind of stuff that completely knocks gringos off their pins. Here's the acid test: if you were to hear this playing at a Cuban restaurant, you'd go back there again for this music and the... read more
Sax jazz for people that have arrived in port after the storm. While not coming out on this specifically, this is celebratory sounds that celebrate resilience and resistance. Pour and fave drink and enjoy, you've all earned... read more
4-STARS Practically every possible sound explodes from Brad Goode's trumpet on That's Right! Goode's pyrotechnics begin with a flourish on "Half Moon," and his full-throated melodic lines quickly are repeated by Ernie Watts on tenor saxophone; his passages equal and often extend Goode's solos and ideas. On "Regret," essentially a ballad, Goode makes a spectacular ascent up the scales, before settling into a relaxed mode. But even here,... read more
Here's a singer from Sweden who released two albums in Europe before she left the continent and settled in New York in 2011. "Sing To The Sky" is Emma Larsson's first record in the US and features seven originals plus two covers. Her voice is wonderfully pure and her intonation and timing just perfect. But it is also her ability to write innovative, original and interesting songs that make this album a great trip.
Pianist Shedrick Mitchell... read more
l asked the question while Peter and I were writing his Legends book, and I'll ask it again... Has Peter Erskine ever made a bad recording? Recently Peter has been talking in his Modern Drummer Jazz Insights column about playing big rooms (and studios) that might present a difficulty for other drummers; so when I saw that Bernstein in Vienna was done in a large concert hall and on (of all things) a Schagerl Brass drum set, I was very intrigued.... read more
The quintet Speak build their music strongly around the motives of collective improvisation, a hallmark of traditional jazz. They do this, however, with the stated intent of challenging traditional jazz ideas. The resulting music is an odd beast. With a love for distortion effects and massive noises, the album opens with a brief Brubeck-like intro (courtesy of pianist Aaron Otheim), then quickly builds into a crashing set of instruments, and... read more
West Coast small bands seem to enjoy arrangements with structure and routines more than the rough-and-tumble favored by Big Apple groups. This sextet, led by saxophonist and composer/arranger Kim Richmond, even manages to make a head arrangement called at this gig sound as if it were organized and rehearsed. But this also isn't one of those annoyingly over-polished, polite combo offerings that have given a smirk to the term "West Coast jazz"... 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