Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Robby Ameen - Diluvio
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Rich post-bop sounds are delivered by drummer Robby Ameen as he brings in a two sax arsenal of Troy Roberts/ts-ss and Bob Franceschini/ts-ss-bs as well as trombonist Conrad Herwig to front the rhythm team of Edsel Gomez-Bill O'Connell/p-key, Lincoln Goines/b and Mauricio Herrera/perc through some percolating arrangements. The horns weave through the assertive and snappy pieces like "Fast Eye" and they get thick with Franceschini on bari during... read more
Michael Waldrop Big Band - Time Within Itself
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
Percussionist Michael Waldrop plays both drums and mallet instruments (vibes and marimba). He has a PhD and currently is a professor of percussion at Eastern Washington University, where he teaches both jazz and classical courses.
He also directs a big band, and this is that ensemble's inaugural album.
Once upon a time - back in unenlightened times - drummers often were looked down upon. (Question: "How big is your band?" Answer: "Sixteen... read more
Bill Anschell - Figments
by Larry Hollis, Cadence
Another name that shows up quite regularly on the Origin/OA2 rosters is Bil Anschell, a pianist surely worthy of wider exposure. As both leader and sideman he has racked up an impressive cache of credentials, playing in varied configurations from duets to larger settings, but 'Figments' is his debut in a solo piano setting. Captured on the most basic studio equipment at is home somewhere in the greater Seattle area, these unpretentious and... read more
Metropolitan Jazz Octet - The Bowie Project
by Chris Baber, Jazz Views (UK)
Having recently pondered the ways in which Bowie's music related to jazz, it was a pleasure to receive this CD to review. Immediately, you are struck by the mixture of songs that the octet has chosen. There are, of course, well known tunes such as 'Changes' (track 3), 'Let's dance' (track 6), 'Life on Mars' (track 11), but also a host of tracks from albums across Bowie's career. This suggests to me that this is clearly a project developed... 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
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Where the Light Falls
by Lynn Darroch, Jazz Society of Oregon
Ever since the late 1960s, Portland bassist and composer David Friesen has been an important part of jazz in the Pacific Northwest. He cut his teeth in Seattle's avant-garde coffee house scene, a period he documented recently in another two disc set titled "..." In the 1970s, often in company with guitarist John Stowell, Friesen pioneered an approach that came to be called New Age music, as did another Friesen associate in those years,... read more
New York Voices - Reminiscing in Tempo
by Editor, The Jazz Page
New York Voices prove why they have become a vocal jazz institution with Reminiscing in Tempo. The production is a wonderful, eclectic mix of songs by Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Ignacio Cervantes, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The harmonies of the group's Peter Eldridge, Lauren Kinhan, Darmon Meader and Kim Nazarian are soaring and on-point on every tune. The quality musical performances backing them are... read more
Robby Ameen - Live at the Poster Museum
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The esteemed drummer Robby Ameen is joined by Conrad Herwig, Troy Roberts, Edsel Gomez, Lincoln Goines and Bob Franceschini for these diverse and playful 7 tracks.
The 9+ minutes of "Fast Eye" opens with Gomez's lively fender rhodes alongside the swift winds and brass for a dynamic jazz climate, and "Una Muy Anita" follows with a calmer mood initially, as much richness enters thanks to Franceschini's animated sax prowess.
"Oleo" lands at... read more
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