Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Matt Otto - Umbra
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The tenor sax extraordinaire Matt Otto has a lengthy history of live performances, and here he captures that energy with Jeff Harshbarger, John Kizilarmut, Hermon Mehari, Matt Villinger and Alex Frank for these 9 fusion filled songs.
'Little Things" wastes no time making an impression with Otto's radiant sax alongside Kizilarmut's agile drumming, and "Hawk" follows with a radiant demeanor that emits a calming intimacy that makes great use... read more
Carlos Vega - Art of the Messenger
by Larry Hollis, Cadence
Here's a belated present for all us hard bop lovers. This Carlos Vega has a pair of previously issued discs for the Origin label and is not to be confused with the drummer of the same name. Those two platters were salutes to Bird but this time around its a nod to powerhouse drum-master Art Blakey Vega's bandmates are the same on all three discs so one has little trouble understanding how super tight this quintet is on this third album. Each of... read more
John Stowell & Dan Dean - Rain Painting
by Chris Lunn, Ancient Victorys
Both artists were in duos at our jazz sessions during the late 70s at The Other Side of the Tracks in Auburn. Stowell came up from Portland with David Friesen; Dean did his duo work with vibes player Tom Collier. They were both amazing musicians then and have continued to explore music with a keen inventive sense. This collection is all original tunes by Stowell that he left with Dean to develop some layered vocal. The project developed over the... read more
Tim Davies Big Band - Dialmentia
by Dick Crockett, The Voice, Sacramento
What Tim Davies does is morphing musical dreams into themes of Kenton ultra dynamics. As the first suggests, Counting To Infinity,"with a Didjeridu opening...Almost like a flailing guitar open, down, instinctual and nasty. That's what a didjeridu will do for you. Whoa, that's different! Throws you in a magical way, doesn't it?
"Hanging On A Thread" creates a more con temporary rapturous interlude, and the Davies holes it up with a classic... read more
Florian Hoefner - Coldwater Stories
by SERGE JULIEN, Maxazine (Netherlands)
Three years ago, the German jazz pianist and composer Florian Hoefner exchanged the vibrant city life of New York for the Canadian fishing town of St. John's in Newfoundland. The impact of that step, Hoefner, was splendidly translated into his new album 'Coldwater Stories'.
Although this is Hoefner's fourth CD, he debuts as soloist. In order to feel as comfortable as possible, he chose the Sendesaal in German Bremen for the recordings. For... read more
Mimi Fox - This Bird Still Flies
by Colin Griffith, Taylor Guitars
Acoustic Flight Path: Interview with Mimi Fox: When we last wrote about internationally renowned guitar virtuoso and music educator Mimi Fox (summer 2018), she was still enjoying the honeymoon phase with her new Builder's Edition K14ce. As Fox shared at the time, she was returning to her acoustic roots and looking forward to using her new Taylor on an all-acoustic album she was getting ready to record. The release, This Bird Still... read more
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Where the Light Falls
by Chris Lunn, Ancient Victorys
Friesen's talent only grows and widens the jazz idiom. I was lucky enough to hear the trio appearing on this CD at the Jerry Heldmand CD release and life celebration last year. "Playground" is a live shot with with the guitarist Larry Koonse added, and they are just having fun, dancing light joyful. Pianist Goebel has lyrical explosions, and the counterpoint of David Friesen's bass and the percussion of Charlie Doggett are never in the way,... read more
Brad Goode - Chicago Red
by Matt Collar, All Music Guide
Trumpeter Brad Goode made his name in Chicago playing straight-ahead post-bop jazz with little electronic or stylistic frills outside of the modern jazz tradition. That said, Goode is an adept improviser with muscular trumpet chops, who has always pushed himself to play a mix of harmonically advanced music alongside his superb renderings of jazz standards. In 2008, he took this adventurous approach even further with Polytonal Dance Party, in... read more
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