A SURPRISINGLY AFFECTING JAZZ DUET I met Swiss bassist Jonas Tauber after a concert recently and he sent me a copy of his 2011 CD Port Sa�d Street, which is why this review arrives two years after its release. This 10-track set of duets with guitarist Francis Colleta has Mr. Tauber returning to his original instrument, the cello, and the two extraordinarily accomplished players explore modern string jazz in a warm and breezy ode to... read more
There's a bunch of different kinds of things going on here as these two improvisers of long standing friendship sat down together with nothing thought out ahead of time except getting out of each others way and rolling tape on improvs about their personal devotion to Christ, not religion. Didn't know how much quasi crime jazz could be squeezed out of the body of the host. It's a very personal record they invite you to join them... read more
This one, more than most sets that come this way, reveals itself in successive layers. Melody didn't initially assert itself to these ears. It was there, in dreamy post bop permutations, but it was the harmonies that grabbed me from the start. Drummer Steve Korn and company explore unusual and engaging harmonic frameworks, and I spent a couple of spins of the disc absorbing those and wishing for a deeper grounding in the technicalities of music,... read more
Relaxing quintet jazz for a quiet night by the fireside. American cuisine is abundant with what are known as "comfort foods": pot roast, hamburgers, barbecued chicken, apple pie. Dishes that sit well and warm the heart without demanding too much in return from the consumer. Steve Korn's Seattle ensemble offers up a good-sized helping of what might be termed "comfort jazz" for the same reasons. This set includes two Pat Metheny compositions (one... read more
I had heard comments to the effect that this particular compact disc was confirming Kim Richmond's place as the new Stan Kenton. With this thought in mind and remembering seeing and hearing the concert jazz orchestra in concert, and on the debut CD, I played the disc for the first time. I must admit that I wanted to hear the Kim Richmond I knew. This meant the music should be eloquent, cliche free, teasing me with gorgeous lyrical lines, complex... read more
Any time anyone calls their group Dynamic, it's cause to put up a red flag for cheesiness. But the rousing Gypsy jazz that comes from this group is, well, rather dynamic. The disc came about during DeMerle's vacation to Maui, where he and Bonnie Eisele jammed with a local group. The result is a modern Hawaiian Gypsy jazz disc with a bit of a surf vibe, thanks to the dual guitars of Gypsy Pacific, Tom Conway and Phil Benoit. DeMerle's energetic... read more
Two long time musical kindred spirits decide to go for it on an all original date for jazz orchestra that's heavy on the art jazz so much so that it's almost like a ricochet from the 50s. Programmed almost like a show, this is a set that colors widely outside the lines defying expectations swinging for the fences in the way that records that don't worry about being hits but worry about being good often do. Quite the urbane listening... read more
In the introduction to alto saxophonist Maddie Vogler's debut recording, While We Have Time, are two striking images. The first is the cover shot, a pair of venerable unmatched hands, depicting those of the artist's immigrant grandmothers, beautifully and simply adorned. The second image is the inside photo of a vibrant young woman, an alto saxophone cradled in her hands. Maddie Vogler.
Unusually for a debut, it is a set of all originals, but... read more
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect