Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Tom Collier - Alone in the Studio
by Tom Morgan, Percussive Notes
Tom Collier has always been interested in recording music. This is obvious when one reads the liner notes to this excellent CD. As the name implies, Alone in the Studio is all Tom Collier playing vibes, marimba, piano, drums, and synthesized bass. He takes all of is past experience in the studio and creates performances of 11 tunes full of variety and musical interest.
The first two tunes, "Little Green Things" and "Lines," are... read more
speak - Speak
by Peter Walton, Earshot Jazz
For many, introductions to the band Speak came with last April's Andrew D'Angelo benefit concert at the Chapel Performance Space at the Good Sheperd Center. Concluding a night of emotional performances from Wayne Horvitz, Bill Frisell, Cuong Vu, Robin Holcomb, and Eyvind Kang, the band, then billed as Cuong Vu's University of Washington Student Ensemble, was one of the evening's great surprises.
Speak's sprawling and unpredictable... read more
John Stowell | Michael Zilber - Live Beauty
by Tree Palmedo, Jazz Society of Oregon
This live meeting of two West-Coast powerhouses succeeds precisely because it's not the kind of combustible collision that many all-star collaborations can become. You can probably thank guitarist John Stowell for that: he's got chops for days, but actively avoids setting fires. Instead, he sits back and plays only the right things. The answer also lies in the instrumentation. With no piano (and particularly with Stowell in the guitar chair),... read more
Gary Hobbs - Of My Times
by ANNIE PIERCE RUSUNEN, The Vancouver Columbian
He's got the beat
Sunday, September 12, 2004
By ANNIE PIERCE RUSUNEN, Columbian staff writer
Most musicians hit the road in their 20s and tour until the endless miles and late-night concerts take a toll on the soul.
Vancouver's Gary Hobbs is the first to admit he's doing things a little, well, backwards.
From his vibrant terra cotta-hued living room, this 55-year-old jazz drummer, sitting with his 9-week-old kitten,... read more
John Wojciechowski - Focus
by Charles L. Latimer, I Dig Jazz
The jazz saxophonist John Wojciechowski is a native of Mount Clemens, MI, and a graduate of Western Michigan University. His dad was a sheet metal worker who moonlighted as a jazz organist, and who made sure music was a big part of his son's existence. After college Wojciechowski played briefly in New York, returned to Michigan, and when the worked there slowed to a crawl around 2002, he moved to Chicago and became a valuable player and jazz... read more
Cuong Vu - Leaps of Faith
by Jerry D'Souza, All About Jazz
Over the last 10 years, trumpeter Cuong Vu has made an impact as an innovator who filters music through the prism of his imagination. He has been agile enough to fit into bands as diverse as those led by Myra Melford and Pat Metheny, and has also carved a niche for himself as a leader who turns his compositions into distinctive portraits of startling imagery. On Leaps of Faith, he focuses his attention on three jazz standards, two pop tunes and... read more
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra - Without a Trace
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Grudging good wishes to New Yorkers who are able to see and hear the world-class Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra on a fairly regular basis. Everyone else must make do with the occasional recording (Without a Trace is only the second by the ten-year-old ensemble which made its debut in 2008). That's not nearly enough, of course, but on the other hand, better than nothing, so some gratitude is in order.
Reeves, a trombonist who also composes,... read more
John Stowell - Resonance
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
This set of unaccompanied guitar solos was recorded informally by John Stowell over a one-year period whenever he would try out one of Luthier Mike Doolin's new custom-made guitars. All of the music is first takes and, after a period of time, Stowell realized that he had a fine CD suitable for release. In general, his versions of standards are upbeat while his originals are more introspective. Stowell's relaxed playing is always thoughtful and... read more
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