Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Milan Verbist Trio - Time Change
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
This lovely album opens with a rubato piano introduction to the title tune. There is a tenderness to the touch of Milan Verbist on the piano keys. The title song is soothing to the ear and to the heart. It's an original composition by Verbist, reflecting a period of time around the transition from winter to summer. It also pinpoints when this album was recorded. After a while, Toon Rumen enters with an improvised double bass solo, while Jens... read more
Randy Halberstadt - Open Heart
by Dave Rogers, WTJU
Pianist/composer/teacher Randy Halberstadt offers his sixth release as a leader. He composed six of the nine songs on offer and each cover was written by Frederic Chopin, George Gershwin or Henry Mancini. The backing musicians include Chuck Deardorf (bass), Adam Kessler (drums), Ben Thomas (vibes), Jay Thomas (trumpet, flugelhorn, soprano sax), Mark Taylor (alto sax) and David Marriott, Jr (trombone). The music flows and is beautifully rhythmic.... read more
David Friesen - Day of Rest
by Dam McClenaghan, All About Jazz
4-STARS Boasting a forty-year career in music, bassist & composer David Friesen found a home at Origin Records in 2014, with his Where The Light Falls, featuring his Circle 3 Trio and guest guitarist Larry Koonse. He has, in the ensuing years, created his finest art for the label, mostly in small groups—duos and trios, and also a solo outing—in addition to his masterpiece, Testimony (2020), featuring his quartet along with the... read more
Hal Galper Trio - Invitation to Openness
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The pianist Hal Galper is joined by Tony Marino on bass and Billy Mintz behind the drum kit for these 8 live tracks performed at Big Twig way back in 2008.
"Embraceable You" opens the listen with Galper's warm and fluid keys alongside playful drumming and strategic bass, and "Rapunzel's Luncheonette" follows with a very dynamic and swift approach that emits a timeless jazz quality.
Halfway through, "Ambleside" has the trio working... read more
Ziggurat Quartet - Calculated Gestures
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence Magazine
Calculated Gestures is by a group of veteran musicians from the Pacific Northwest who experiment with a gamut of sounds, using complex hip-hoppish beats on "XoBoX," snaky Indian melodies on "Vindaloo" and minimalist phrase repetition on "Oregonian Monkey Chant." These pieces often have the piano, bass, and drums locking into angular and fragmented rhythms while saxophonist Barber picks his way through on the top like he's climbing over barbed... read more
Hugo Fernandez - Cosmogram
by Gabriel Carvalho, Music on the Run (Portugal)
O guitarrista mexicano Hugo Fernandez iniciou a carreira no final dos anos 80, tocando com artistas da cena pop do pa's natal, como Thalia (sim, aquela que vocês conhecem). Em 1998 obteve a licenciatura em música na tradicional Berklee College of Music e em 2005 completou o mestrado em "Estudos de Jazz" na University of New Orleans. Apesar de toda a experiência, Fernandez só lançou o primeiro disco - o bom Origenes - no começo de... read more
Jon Hamar - Idyl Wild
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Casting off the Geoff Keezer penumbra of his last album, this time around he replaces piano with double sax for a bass/drum/sax jazz quartet that knows how to offer up a low key hipsters delight. Not needing pyrotechnics to catch fire, this crew keeps the fire on a simmer that just doesn?t burn out or boil off. Sweet stuff for real finger popping daddios that dig it from their chairs.... 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
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