Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Anthony Branker & Word Play - Dialogic
by George Kanzler, New York City Jazz Record
Anthony Branker is the director of the program in jazz studies at Princeton University. He?s a trumpeter but does not play on Dialogic, only providing compositions and musical direction for the players: Ridl (piano and Fender Rhodes), Ralph Bowen (saxes), Kenny Davis (bass) and Adam Cruz (drums). Branker?s music is highly informed by rhythms, from rolling 6/8 and funk to swing and AfroCuban. And his concept of small group composition seems... read more
Rodney Whitaker - Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Nolan DeBuke, The Jazz Word
Rodney Whitaker's latest release, Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill, is a set of ten well-written and arranged compositions reflecting jazz's past while forging into fresh directions. At the heart of the album lies Whitaker's deep connection to Hill's compositions, which serve as a canvas for exploring jazz's rich lineage and its potential mix with modern classical and elements of popular music from the seventies. This fourth collaboration between... read more
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Triple Exposure
by Carlo Wolff, Downbeat
****
The stamp of protean bassist David Friesen is all over this resonant album which ends too soon despite a length of nearly an hour. From the striking cover art to Friesen's 11 originals, Triple Exposure exemplifies individuality. At the same time, it's profoundly collaborative, a celebration of interplay rather than ego.
On tunes such as the rolling "Rainbow Song" and the wistful "Another Time, Another Place," Friesen,... read more
David Friesen - Structures
by Chris Lunn, Ancient Victorys
This double CD release has Friesen on Hermage bass sharing with two artists; first, Joe Manis saxophone, recorded live in Uzhhorod, Ukraine; and the second, Larry Koonse, guitarist, recorded by Peter Schwartz in Phoenix, Arizona. Compositions on both discs are all by David Friesen. CD with Manis has "Wrinkle" with Friesen walking the bass and the sax of Manis coming over the top with just a quick statement. Then they start toying, having fun... read more
Jessica Williams - With Love
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence
According to Jessica Williams' liner notes, it's a bit of a miracle that this CD even exists. In the last couple of years she has had to deal with the collapse of her lumbar spine and extensive reconstructive surgery, leaving her in a state where she wasn't sure if she would even walk again much less play the piano. Given all that, the fact this solo recital is all at slow tempos is completely understandable. Within that framework her playing... read more
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The Milwaukee outfit consisting of Eric Jacobson, Pamela York and Clay Schaub, as Affinity Trio they deliver 6 covers and 3 originals of swingin' jazz fun.
The upbeat mood of "Onward" starts with Jacobson's rich trumpet alongside Schaub's bouncy bass and York's fluid keys, and 'On The Sunny Side Of The Street" follows with a soulful version of the classic that's quite warm.
In the middle, the swift "Bittersweet", by Sam Jones, allows... read more
Benny Powell - Nextep
by Will Smith, JazzTimes, Jan/Feb 09
It's most encouraging to hear some of jazz's senior citizens (Sonny Rollins, James Moody, Lee Konitz, Clark Terry and Hank Jones, among others) remaining active and creative in their sunset years. At age 78, trombonist Benny Powell may have lost a step or two with regard to his solo work on Nextep, his first recording in five years, yet he's still out there offering an abundance of music worth hearing with an often sprightly, burnished... read more
Peter Erskine & the JAM Music Lab All-Stars - Bernstein in Vienna
by Mark Griffith, Modern Drummer
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
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