Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Brittany Anjou - Enamigo Reciprokataj
by Debra Jan Bibel, Amazon
A Sophisticated Debut: New Terrority for Jazz Invention The title of this album, Enamigo Reciprokoataj, seems to be a gimisch of languages and in a way it is, being Esperanto. To my knowledge, it is second Esperanto-related musical recording; Lou Harrison's La Koro Sutro is the other. Brittany Anjou, pianist and trio leader, is the composer and arranger of the ten-track 58-minute instrumental debut. The title, roughly Reciprocal Love, is... read more
Greta Matassa - Favorites From A Long Walk
by George Fendel, Jazz Scene
If you missed the recent Vocal Madness gig at the Benson Hotel, here is your chance to get acquainted with Greta Matassa, a Seattle-based singer who wowed the crowd on that occasion. She gets to the heart of a song, expressing the lyric with great feeling, but never indulging in show-biz shtick. For this album, Metassa chooses 13 tunes, most of which, while familiar, are welcome, lesser known gems. Her pianist, Darin Clendenin, is especially... read more
Michael Waldrop - Time Frames
by Michael Ferber, Michael's Jazz Blog (Switzerland)
Drummer, percussionist and composer Michael Waldrop has released a fantastic album featuring the marimba called 'Time Frames'. The 15 songs, most of them originals by Michael Waldrop, present a wide spectrum of styles and sounds, from the origin of the marimba as an African instrument to eclectic contemporary compositions. Waldrop surrounds himself on the album with other renowned and musically diverse percussionists like Gordon Stout, Brad... read more
Dan McCarthy - City Abstract
by Georges Tonla Briquet, JazzHalo (Belgium)
The Canadian vibraphonist Dan McCarthy likes to color outside the lines. For example, on 'Let's Start The Show' he introduced a banjo into his musical universe, while 'Constellation' was a duo album with pianist Gordon Webster, all about free improvisation. On 'Epoch' he was joined by Steve Swallow, Ben Monder and Mark Feldman. "City Abstract" is a logical and equally adventurous sequel to which he casually honors Carla Bley ("Bleyto") and Gary... read more
Bill Anschell - Shifting Standards
by Carol Banks Weber, Festival Peak
I'm a Bill Evans type of listener. For me, a musician's touch says more than a fantastic cavalcade of impressive, overly complicated notes, impossibly juxtaposed against a harried orchestra of one. If you can make me feel down to my bones, you've got me.
Seattle's beloved jazz pianist Bill Anschell is cool, because he can do both: move and impress, touch and flash, tone and stack — often on a forgettable, throwaway standard everybody... read more
Darrell Grant - Truth And Reconciliation
by Bill Barton, Coda
Pianist-composer Darrell Grant has assembled an impressive group here. The core trio has John Patitucci on bass and Brian Blade on drums. Also appearing are guitarists Bill Frisell and Adam Rogers, vibraphonist Joe Locke and saxophonist Steve Wilson. Grant's Truth and Reconciliation Project "was inspired by my own search for artistic truth, the struggle for justice and healing in South Africa, and the birth of my son," as he states on his... read more
Jack Mouse - Range of Motion
by John Lane, Percussive Notes
For decades, Jack Mouse has been a sideman for a long list of jazz greats, but Range of Motion represents his debut as a leader. Collaborating with several other Chicago-based musicians (Art Davis,trumpet; Scott Robinson, woodwinds; John McLean, guitar; Bob Bowman and Kelly Sill, bass), he has put together a terrific set of his original compositions.
Mouse?s high-energy and surehanded drumming is displayed front and center, but this is not... read more
Bobby Broom - Upper West Side Story
by Ken Dryden, All Music
One of the top guitarists of his generation, Bobby Broom's preferred setting is a small group, while he excels in the demanding trio setting with bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins (with Makaya McCraven replacing him on three songs). Upper West Side Story includes nine originals, none of which is likely to become a jazz standard, but all of which are stimulating. "D's Blues" has an engaging hard bop hook that pulls the listener in... read more
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