Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Scenes - Silent Photographer
by Eric Prinzing, Jazzreview.com
Silent Photographer is an excellent trio recording. The tone is generally hushed and introspective, and the improvisations are searching and cerebral. Though the group does utilize dissonance, space and tense harmony, the music never feels alienating. The musicianship here is first rate, and the group's interplay is equally impressive. Further credit also goes John Stowell (long an underrated and original guitarist) and Jeff Johnson for... read more
Laurie Antonioli - Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light
by Raul da Gama, Jazz da Gama
Attempting to play the repertoire of Thelonious Monk or Herbie Nichols is notoriously difficult. Here is the conundrum: Unless the music is recreated, while staying true to the original; made wholly new, there is a tendency to copy style and content. And then the attempt falls flat with mediocrity. There is that small matter of the stylistic idiosyncrasy of the artists in question. The angular, chopped rhythms of Mr. Monk and the maddeningly... read more
Jay Thomas with the Oliver Groenewald Newnet - I Always Knew
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Jay Thomas plays trumpet and flugelhorn as well as alto, tenor and soprano sax for tribute to blue pastels from masters ranging from Duke Ellington to Chick Corea. Fellow brass man Oliver Groenewald does most of the charts for the team that also boasts Brad Allison/tp-fh, Dan Marcus/tb, travis Ranney/as-fl-cl, Greg Sinabaldi/bs-bcl, John Hansen/p, Michael Glynn/b and Adam Kessler/dr. The moods and textures are highly in debt to Gil Evans, with... read more
Purna Loka Ensemble - Metaraga
by MEDUSA OF TROY, KFJC-FM, CA
For those well-versed in Indian classical styles, Western improvisation and geometric progressions in music, the album "Metaraga" is a fascinating melding of math and music, eastern and western music. For those who don't recognize all of the influences within this album, it is an interesting blend of sounds and tempos, with two violins (mathematician-violinist Purnaprajna Bangere and David Balakrishnan from Turtle Island String Quartet), bass... read more
Chuck Deardorf - Transparence
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Track review of "Dear Prudence"
Bassist Chuck Deardorf follows up his pairing with Dave Peterson on Portal (Origin Records, 2004), with his multidimensional Transparence. Deardorf raises his bass presence to that of the guitar and keyboards on the board, allowing for a turbulent sound mix that resolves itself with time, like incorporating color in paint. This sonic phenomenon is well illustrated in Deardorf's cover of The Beatles' "Dear... read more
John Gunther - Painting the Dream
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
5-STARS When Sound Becomes Vision
John Gunther paints with sound. Each note on his latest album, Painting the Dream, feels like a brushstroke drawn from a vivid inner landscape. Listening to it, one senses not just a musician shaping melodies, but a composer sculpting space, color, and emotion. The Denver-based saxophonist, clarinetist, and educator has long been known for his range as a multi-instrumentalist and improviser. Yet here,... read more
Chad McCullough & Bram Weijters - Imaginary Sketches
by Tom D'Antoni, Oregon Music News
Seattle-based trumpeter Chad McCullough has quickly come into his own. His addition to The Kora Band put it over the top. Last year's album The Sky Cries with Slovakian pianist Michal Vanoucek along with Portland bassist Dave Captein, and Seattle's Matt Jorgensen (drums) and Mark Taylor (sax) was well received.
On the heels of that comes a collaboration with Antwerp-based pianist Bram Weijters which shows off McCullough's warm lyricism in a... read more
Jon Hamar - Idyl Wild
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
The versatile bassist Jon Hamar has established himself as one of Seattle?s first call bass players over the last few years. For this rather unusual session, he leads a quartet with two saxophones, bass and drums. One of the saxmen, Rich Perry, has been a formidable presence in New York for quite a while. This session marks something of a detour for Perry, in that it is more in the free-avant garde camp than his prior mainstream orientation.... read more
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