Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Anthony Branker - Beauty Within
by Albert Brooks, Albany Jazz
TOP 5 for 2016 Beauty Within, itself a strong contender for my choice of 'album of the year', is another marvelous offering from Dr. Anthony Branker, the most eloquent, socially conscious, interesting and challenging composer/arranger on the scene today, in my humble estimation. This album aptly named for what it is is a work of beauty. In Imagine, Dr. Branker has assembled an upper echelon staff of musicians to give... read more
Joel Miller Sienna Dahlen - Dream Cassette
by Raul da Gama, The Whole Note
On Dream Cassette, Dahlen teams up with an extraordinarily gifted multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Joel Miller who, in each of 12 original songs here, has tempered his arsenal of sophisticated compositional resources with fond and haunting reminiscences reflecting the contours of New Brunswick's rich and yet starkly dramatic cultural landscape. The mostly unfamiliar tunes serve as unifying devices, which in the hands of Miller and Dahlen,... read more
Toby Koenigsberg - Sense
by Inka Bajandas, The Daily Emerald
University faculty don't just write textbooks. Some of them are producing their own CDs.
The Toby Koenigsberg Trio, featuring three University Jazz Studies Department faculty members, will celebrate the release of its new album tonight at the Luna jazz club. Toby Koenigsberg on the piano, Tyler Abbott on the bass and Jason Palmer on drums will play several songs from their new CD, as well as pieces by New York City-based jazz composer Andr�... read more
BOX - Ten Variations On An Unknown Theme
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
A trio of Swiss jazzers here combine for a series of entirely improvisatory jazz built in theory around a theme. That said, the theme is also unknown. The goal is to make improvisatory music while creating a theme by way of its variations. By circling in from the outside, the core form will eventually become clear. The players all perform well on their respective instruments, in a basic piano trio (with an occasional outburst of bugle). The... read more
Matt Vashlishan - No Such Thing
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Built mostly while studying at the Eastman School, No Such Thing is a collection of ideas in the realm of young jazz, just walking the line between keeping up with the transcriptions of the greats and forming entirely new ideas. Matt Vashlishan holds court for the majority of the album on a mix of alto and soprano sax work, quietly finding the right mood and delivery style for each composition (most penned by Vashlishan himself). He croons his... read more
Shawn Purcell - Oblivity
by Nolan DeBuke, The Jazz Word
Oblivity is Shawn Purcell leading an ensemble as a guitarist of fluidity and grace. He reveals he is a composer of rare elegance throughout the ten compositions. His writing balances structure, pacing, and detail with a clarity that invites deep listening. The ensemble delivers each piece with palpable chemistry, and the album speaks to the art of modern jazz, commanding and deeply musical.
The ensemble around him brings equal parts to the... read more
Michael Waldrop Big Band - Time Within Itself
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Drummer Michael Waldrop leads a hefty 17 piece band along with a handful of guests on this rich collection of originals. The moods mix from a fusion " Tunnell Vision which features Jim Tunnell's electric guitar to full and glowing harmonies which feature Walddrop on vibes for "Inner Truth." A clever military march includes Sandra Dudley's vocals and Tim Ishii's alto on "Her Moon Rises East" and some Bill Evans Trio inspired piano work is... read more
Benjamin Boone | Philip Levine - The Poetry of Jazz
by Andrew Gilbert, JazzTimes
A singular collaboration between the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Philip Levine and Fresno saxophonist-composer Benjamin Boone, this album features the jazz-loving U.S. Poet Laureate delivering his verse with rhythmic panache in the studio, essentially blowing with the musicians (including such special guests as Greg Osby, Tom Harrell and Chris Potter, who were recorded later).... read more
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