Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John Stowell / Michael Zilber - Basement Blues
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Basement Blues is the third Origin Records CD offering from the John Stowell/Michael Zilber Quartet, following Shot Through With Beauty (2009) and Live Beauty, (2013). Guitarist Stowell's approach is distinctive - silvery chords and pinprick single notes that reverberate from the rafters. Saxophonist Zilber is a flawless, soulful technician on soprano and tenor saxophones. Bassist John Shifflett and drummer Jason Lewis are perfection in the... read more
Matt Otto with Ensemble Iberica - Iberica
by Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
Otto's collaboration with the Ensemble Ibérica is a series of languid expressions, each possessing the potent combination of a stunning beauty and a disarming gentleness. The delicate accents of Spanish and chamber add some compelling textures, and the inclusion of instruments like oud, steel guitar, cavaquinho, cello and Cuban tres brings a liveliness to the conversation that serves to emphasize the serenity, not threaten it. And while Matt... read more
Todd Bishop Pop Art 4 - 69 Annee Erotique: Music of Serge Gainsbourg
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Todd Bishop has taken groups Lower Monumental and Flatland through somewhat revolutionary jazz territory before, exploring what modern free jazz could sound like while still putting together entirely listenable albums. On 69 Annee Erotique, Bishop takes his Pop Art 4 through some surprising new arrangements of old Serge Gainsbourg songs. The songs vary from dark to light, slow to jumpy, but they're all given a strong touch of the new in Bishop's... read more
Marius Nordal - Ways of the Hand
by Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
The title of this album, Ways of the Hand, does not refer to the trickery of a clever magician. Rather it describes the one of a kind styles and talents of the six piano artists to whom Marius "Butch" Nordal pays tribute on this his second release for the Origin label. It's too bad that these tracks aren't arranged in chronological order so one can see the connection between the mannerisms of each as well as the development of the art of... read more
John Moulder - Earthborn Tales of Soul and Spirit
by Mateusz Krępski, MultiKulti Project (Poland)
4 1/2 - STARS John Moulder remains one of the most underrated jazz guitarists in the world. His work combines elements of both jazz tradition, jazz-rock, blues and folk. This Chicago guitarist and composer has developed a characteristic, recognizable style over the years - intense and rapacious, he is a hellishly exact, demanding and incredibly spontaneous guitarist. His compositions are a testimony to the individual's freedom to create... read more
Metropolitan Jazz Octet - The Bowie Project
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Lester Bowie, so I picked this one up with eagerness — only to discover that it's actually a jazz tribute to David Bowie. Well, no worries, I'm also a big David Bowie fan, so I cued the disc up with only slight trepidation. "Slow Burn" and "5:15 the Angels Have Gone" both adapted themselves nicely to the balladic arrangements, but in my mind the test was going to be "Changes" — and I was startled... read more
Benjamin Boone - Confluence: The Ireland Sessions
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The alto-sax extraordinaire Benjamin Boone is in the company of some fine musicians for these colorful and dynamic 9 tracks.
"On The Banks Of The Shannon" starts the listen with Dan Bodwell's playful bass plucking before Rodridgo Dalla's dreamy percussion enters alongside Boone's elegant sax, and the title track follows with a lively spirit that carries an infectious energy thanks to James Miley's swift keys and Rory Murphy's electric... read more
Jeff Johnson - Free
by John Barrett, Jr., All About Jazz
It's hard to be more spontaneous than this. A live show for radio broadcast, played without benefit of rehearsal. The numbers were called from the stage, many played for the first time. (Some had never been heard by their composers!) And one piece is totally improvised, existing only that moment, then captured on tape. Apt is the drowning man on the cover; music like this is swim or fail. Most of it swims; the textures weave as soft voices react... read more
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