Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Dick Reynolds - Music & Friends
by Lloyd Sachs, Jazzespress
Back in the '60s, Dick Reynolds was the house pianist at Mr. Kelly's, Chicago's famous Rush Street club where stars like Sarah Vaughan and held forth. He also was a king of the commercial jingles jungle. Reynolds has been in retirement since 1996, but he doesn't sound retiring on Music and Friends, a lively, impeccably arranged big band effort whose original compositions range effortlessly from swing to Latin to funk.
With its... read more
Nnenna Freelon - Beneath the Skin
by Herb Boyd, DownBeat
There's an unrelieved lament to Nnenna Freelon's latest release, and only occasionally do the songs break from a slow, mournful narrative.
The expressive range of Freelon's voice — and its versatility from tune to tune evokes Aminata Moseka (Abbey Lincoln), Nina Simone and Billie Holiday — soars brilliantly on "Changed," but she quickly settles back into a gloomy sphere, almost tearful on "Widow's Song." On "Dark and Lovely," her vocal... read more
Florian Hoefner - Luminosity
by Eugenio Mirti, JAZZiT (Italy)
"Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul." (Wassily Kandinsky)
German pianist that has long lived in New York before moving to Canada, Florian Hofner has published three records with his group, the latest "Luminosity" featuring Seamus Blake on sax. His knowledge of both European... read more
Piet Verbist - Secret Exit to Another Dimension
by Rick Anderson, CD HotList
I'll be completely candid here: this isn't my favorite jazz album of the year, or even the month. But I'm recommending it because I don't see it as my job simply to share what I like — it's my job to hip you to good music, and this album is objectively excellent, in terms of both the playing and (even more so) its structure and conception. Bassist Piet Verbist leads a trio that includes guitarist Hendrik Braeckman and drummer Lionel Beuvens,... read more
Jerry Heldman - Revelation(s)
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
If you want to feel like a real Seattle jazz scene insider hipster, this twofer is the right place to start. Recorded 40 years ago after an already budding 10 year simpatico with David Friesen, this cat who wore many hats before passing last year created a cross roads in Seattle for jazz to flourish. With Friesen on board as producer and bass/piano fellow traveler, you can get a real feel for how things felt and sounded when the first bunch of... read more
Joachim Mencel - Brooklyn Eye
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A protean Polish piano cat realizes a long held dream of recording in America with some real jazz hitters. Giving it a solid go on a program of his own originals, the cats are solidly behind him as he leads the charge. High octane, modern stuff that just keeps coming, the chops bowl you over and leave you with nothing left to do but enjoy it while the record does all the work. A real... read more
Sam Yahel - From Sun to Sun
by Nate Chinen, New York Times
During the final stretch of "From Sun to Sun" (Origin), his adept, engaging new album, the keyboardist Sam Yahel offers a glimpse of what might have been. Downhill-skiing through a pair of songbook standards ? "So in Love" and "Taking a Chance on Love," linked by an interlude with a classical tinge ? he plays crisply over fast-swinging rhythm, the picture of mainstream post-bop piano excellence.
Which is disconcerting only in context. Mr.... read more
Michael Vlatkovich Tritet w/ Jonas Tauber and Ken Ollis - Queen Dynamo
by David Dupont, Cadence
Michael Vlatkovich refers to his three-piece ensemble as a "tritet," maybe, I assume, to avoid the inevitable comparisons to all those other horn plus bass and drum trios. It's easy to see why. While that standard trio is typically used because of the openended freedom it allows, Vlatkovich's vision is more orchestral. True, the melodic material that bookend the performances tends to be little more than fanfares. But these simple melodic... read more
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