Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Peterson-Kohler Collective - Winter Colors
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Guitarist David Peterson co-leads with piano man Lee Kohler and bassist Rob along for a collection of originals with Brent Jensen/sax and John Bishop/dr. The team weaves between post bop and sublime samba here, with the latter swaying gorgeously with Jensen's tenor on "I Need You Too" and Peterson leading the way on "Danza." Piano and guitar hover dreamlike on "The Wind Has Gone Down" with the leaders getting artsy on the free form "White... read more
Michael Waldrop Big Band - Time Within Itself
by Dave Gregg, The Jazz Reader
Time Within Itself, Michael Waldrop's first big band CD, is a joyous, rip-roaring ride that charts a rollicking course through diverse musical styles, ranging from jazz fusion to the very best of big band jazz.
At the helm on drums, Waldrop is the indomitable anchor of the ensemble, a master of kinetic energy who plays both authoritatively and with a rare symmetrical beauty. Creating a rhythmic force that is high-octane yet beautifully... read more
Ray LeVier - Ray's Way
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
Ray Levier had spent plenty of time as a studio musician, a sideman, and a touring accompanying drummer. Here he finally lets loose as a bandleader for the first time, taking with him a set of fairly well-known musicians and a generally outstanding band. While Levier is the nominal bandleader, his approach tends toward the quieter side of affairs for much of the album, accentuating the work of the other musicians more than making himself known... read more
James Moody - 80 Years Young: Live at the Blue Note, March 26, 2005
by Will Friedwald, New York Sun
All-Star Celebration of James Moody's 100th Kicks Off the 2025 Blue Note Jazz Festival
The jazz great was born in Savannah and raised by a single mother in Newark, which is why that city's performing arts center names its annual fall jazz festival in his honor.
Somehow, my favorite bebopper, James Moody, was also my favorite rapper. In 1946, the 21-year-old veteran of the Army Air Corps joined Dizzy Gillespie's pioneering... read more
Mark Zaleski - OUR TIME: REIMAGINING DAVE BRUBECK
by Héctor Martin, Canción a Quemarropa (Canary Islands)
This next September 17, 2021 will see the light of the last release of the record company Origin Records under the title of Our Time: Reimagining Dave Brubeck, a recording of Mark Zaleski Band. The Mark Zaleski Band is a powerful sextet led by the saxophonist and arranger that gives the band its name.
On Our Time, Mark serves as frontman for the Boston-based band and presents several fresh insights into the genius' classic compositions: Dave... read more
Ryan Shultz - Hair Dryers
by Hryar Attarian, Chicago Jazz Magazine
Bass trumpeter Ryan Shultz's debut as a leader, Hair Dryers, is an enjoyable look back at the jazz-fusion movement. A heavily electrified atmosphere envelops the songs that the group interprets with a deft balance of elegance and an organic vigor. Shultz, who penned most of the music, wields his instrument with remarkable agility and coaxes out of it a sinewy sound with an understated passion. The soulful title track, reminiscent of... read more
Brad Goode - Polytonal Big Band: The Snake Charmer
by Editor, Modern Drummer
Don't let the "polytonal" name fool you, this is a nice and pretty traditional big band with some extra-expressive soloing (that's part of the "polytonal" ingredient,) playing very nice and well-conceived charts. Most of the compositions and arrangements are by trumpeter Brad Goode and they run the gamut from inside and swingin' to slightly funky. Goode's arranging approach is where more of the polytonal aspect of the band enters, but it isn't... read more
Piet Verbist - Suite Réunion
by Tom Greenland, The New York City Jazz Record
Bassists aren't always the most extroverted members of an ensemble, so it's always intriguing to hear what they'll choose to present given the reins of leadership. German Holger Scheidt, Belgian Piet Verbist and Dane Morten Haxholm each reveal a bit of themselves in the way they handle these reins:
Antwerp-based Verbist surely falls on the 'team player' end of the bassist-as-leader personality spectrum, favoring a big round sound, eschewing... read more
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