Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
David Friesen - This Light Has No Darkness, Volume 1
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The multi-instrumentalist David Friesen has a long history in the jazz world, and here along with Paul Lees, Charlie Doggett and Rob Moore he fleshes out 12 tracks orchestrated by Kyle Gordon for a 33 piece orchestra.
"Recovery For Two" starts the listen with a charming dreaminess, where Friesen's well timed bass plucking is met with calm winds and gorgeous strings, and "Motivation" follows with a graceful, cinematic appeal that uses builds... read more
Paul Tynan - quARTet
by Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen
Antigonish-based trumpeter Paul Tynan's latest album wastes no time in getting down to hard-swinging business.
After a few pickup bars, Tynan's composition More Than Just A Single Road treats listeners to authoritative post-bop that recalls the early '80s music of Wynton Marsalis thanks to some of its harmonic and structural details. Tynan's lead-off solo highlights his own muscular yet lyrical approach to improvising, while pianist Dan... read more
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Interaction
by Fred Grand, Jazz Journal (London)
I don't think it would be unkind to describe 77-year old David Friesen as an under-sung giant of the post-bop era. Adding his considerable musical muscle to several classics in waiting from the 70s by Joe Henderson, Billy Harper and Kenny Drew, he went on to tour with Sam Rivers, Paul Horn, Stan Getz and Dannie Richmond amongst others. With the help of John Stowell and Paul McCandless he was a prime mover in a gentler and more folk-inflected... read more
Anthony Branker & Word Play - Dialogic
by David Franklin, Cadence
Anthony Branker teaches music composition at Princeton and leads a couple of Jazz groups on the side. Dialogic is the second release by his quartet, Word Play. He himself no longer performs, but he composes the group's material and serves as its musical director.
His compositions are more than mere tunes, but they are tuneful and they serve ably as vehicles for the consummate improvisations of his fine cadre of musicians, all of whom boast... read more
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra - Without a Trace
by Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs
This winter, a plethora of big band and orchestra CDs have crossed my desk. The Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra is another very fine example of precision arrangements and excellent musicianship in pursuance of jazz orchestration. From the first Latin strains of cut #1, "Speak Low," I was captivated. This familiar jazz standard features alto saxophonist Steve Wilson and trumpeter Chris Rogers. Each soloist is dynamic and technically astute. An... read more
Chris Walden Big Band & The St. John's Choir - Kurt Marti Suite
by Dick Crockett, Bop 'n DIck's 10 Picks
How can an orchestration based on the verse of Kurt Marti can be so majestic and powerful, especially when the lyrics are sung in German by the St Johns Choir, Hamburg? For someone who doesn't understand the language, there's something more universal here with voice and orchestration with Chris Walden and his arrangements. Walden draws upon his resources and a big band arranger, writer and leader to create this, the musical voice of Kurt Marti.... read more
Robby Ameen - Diluvio
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Rich post-bop sounds are delivered by drummer Robby Ameen as he brings in a two sax arsenal of Troy Roberts/ts-ss and Bob Franceschini/ts-ss-bs as well as trombonist Conrad Herwig to front the rhythm team of Edsel Gomez-Bill O'Connell/p-key, Lincoln Goines/b and Mauricio Herrera/perc through some percolating arrangements. The horns weave through the assertive and snappy pieces like "Fast Eye" and they get thick with Franceschini on bari during... read more
Marc Bernstein & Good People - Hymn For Life
by Dave Sumner, emusic Review
Bernstein is intoxicatingly lyrical on woodwinds, and that he often switches between the sweet disposition of soprano sax and the soulful irreverence of bass clarinet often within the span of an album just makes the synthesis of sounds even more delectable. On this current release, he adds Jacob Anderkov on piano, Jonas Westergaard on bass, Rakalam Bob Moses on drums, and the vocals of Sinne Eeg. Beautiful moody music that crackles with life.... read more
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