Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John McLean - Better Angels
by Paul Abella, Chicago Jazz.com
John McLean's last album, Easy Go, was a personal favorite. So I awaited his latest, Better Angels, with baited breath. While this is a vastly different album than its predecessor, it has its own charms that make it an equally engaging and interesting album.
McLean has chosen some fantastic sidemen for this project, all of whom bring something fantastic to the table. For fans of homegrown jazz, none of these players needs an introduction. Jim... read more
Bill Anschell - Rumbler
by Carol Banks Weber, AXS
At times, the natural rhythm of pianist Bill Anschell's upcoming album, Rumbler, recalls the calm of a gently falling rainy day in transition from winter to spring, afternoon to dusk. The feeling of rain - quiet, unpredictable, and revealing - permeates tunes like "Dark Wind," "Captive Light," "Rumbler," Duke Ellington's "Reflections In D," and the Beatles cover, "For No One."
Scheduled for release on Jan. 20, Rumbler on Origin Records goes... read more
Clarence Penn - Monk: The Lost Files
by James Hale, Downbeat
If you were unaware of Clarence Penn's sharp, creative work with trumpeter Dave Douglas, or his years of empathetic, intelligent playing as a member of Maria Schneider's orchestra, you could be forgiven for assuming that Monk: The Lost Files was one too many recordings of Thelonious Monk classics. Penn's audacious interpretation of "Well You Needn't" quickly lays any reservations to rest. All stuttering beats and slippery... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - No Bounds
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Any way you slice it, it's not easy for a big band to earn a Grammy Award nomination. Composer/arranger Chris Walden's debut album, Home of My Heart, received not one but two, for Best Large Jazz Ensemble and Best Instrumental Arrangement. One year later, Walden returns with another strong contender, No Bounds, showcasing eleven of his exemplary charts performed by an all-star ensemble of Los Angeles-area studio/big band musicians.
Walden,... read more
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Where the Light Falls
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
For my money, Friesen doesn't record enough solo/leader dates so this twofer shows that there isn't too much of a good thing where Friesen recordings are concerned. Culled form several live dates, Friesen's touring trio delivers the goods throughout with some great sitting down jazz listening that never eases up on the pedal. It doesn't have to be groundbreaking when it simply sounds this good. Discerning listeners will easily recognize this... read more
Roy Assaf & Eddy Khaimovich Quartet - Andarta
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
Two Israeli expatriates who stumbled upon one another on the New York jazz scene, pianist Roy Assaf and bassist Eddy Khaimovich put together a debut that capitalizes on the theme of modernization, updating not only classic compositions with new arrangements and reworkings, but updating the stylings of classic players through the quartet's stylings. The album opens with a groove-heavy rendition of Cole Porter's "All of You," also unveiling the... read more
Chris Walden Big Band & The St. John's Choir - Kurt Marti Suite
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz.com
It's hard to wrap one's arms around this CD by composer/arranger Chris Walden. On the one hand, Walden has coupled his intrepid ensemble of talented southern California sidemen with the 100-member St. John's Choir from Hamburg, Germany (his hometown), to set to music works by the renowned Swiss poet/lyricist Kurt Marti. On the other, the playing time is only 36:55?less than half a disc's worth?and that includes a five-minutes-plus "bonus" track,... read more
James Moody - 80 Years Young: Live at the Blue Note, March 26, 2005
by Tom Hull, Tom Hull On the Web
Bebop saxophonist (1925-2010), mostly tenor, also played quite a bit of flute, joined Dizzy Gillespie in 1946 and was a regular in his various bands, while he established his own career with "Moody's Mood for Love" in 1952. He opens this 80th birthday bash singing "Benny's From Heaven," badly at first but so infectiously he won me over. He opened with a solid band -- David Hazeltine (piano), Todd Coolman (bass), and Adam Nussbaum (drums) -- then... read more
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