On this, his latest CD, Corey Christiansen interprets in a thoroughly modern jazz way, some of the old cowboy songs and melodies of the frontier.Tunes like "Streets of Laredo;" "Red River Valley" and "Sittin' on Top of the World" will be quite familiar to many of us and the latter title really swings. The other tunes which may not be as familiar are given an excellent jazz treatment and proves that any tune with a great melody can be... read more
When Janis Ian arrived in the 1960s as a teenaged singer-songwriter armed with an acoustic guitar, no one would have confused her with a jazz singer. She did have a precociously mature social consciousness--her first hit, "Society's Child," dealt with the establishment's disdain for interracial romance--and her biggest single, the chart-topping "At Seventeen," boasted a bossa nova beat and enough melodic content to elicit a cover from iconic bop... read more
Walt Whitman was not the first person to claim to contain multitudes. In Greek mythology, Deucalion and Pyrrha were instructed by Themis to replace the loss of mankind (after the end of an Iron Age flood) by casting stones of the earth (reinstating men and women) behind them. The couple claimed, "Nos duo turba sumus" ("We two form a multitude."). In our era, Larry Constantine, an American software engineer considered one of the pioneers of... read more
This record can really be summed up in two words: IN-SANE!!! Not only is Hal Galper an amazing pianist with a raw aggressive tone one might compare to Keith Jarrett, but his inclusion of the legendary Brecker brothers (Randy on trumpet and flugelhorn and Michael on tenor sax) was nothing short of inspired. Everyone is given an equal chance to shine, and no one wastes his opportunity. Bassist Wayne Dockery and drummer Bob Moses are equally rock... read more
In which we find our fearless leader making a piano trio debut that goes somewhere else but really doesn't. Not willing to take on art for art's sake, this tyro that's sought out and studied with dyed in the wool pros shows that you don't need to microdose acid to expand your mind. Almost like taking the history of piano trio, putting it in a Yatzee cup and shaking it up to see where the future might lie, this amazing kaleidoscope of sounds just... read more
The pianist has concentrated on solo performance lately but returns to the trio format by way of this paean to John Coltrane. Accompanied by bassist Dave Captein and drummer Mel Brown, Williams explores four pieces by Coltrane and four of her own that pay tribute to the man she has long acknowledged as a major musical and spiritual inspiration. In her notes, she calls him "my light through the darkness." There is no darkness in the title tune,... read more
4 1/2 STARS When it comes to having fun, few events can compete with a birthday party. Fun is clearly at the summit of the agenda on 80 Years Young: Live at the Blue Note, recorded at the famed New York City nightspot on March 26, 2005, to celebrate saxophonist James Moody's eightieth birthday, and released on the same date in 2025 to honor the centenary of his birth. Moody, who, with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, comprised one of... read more
This daring Seattle-based piano trio explores the remarkably intimate chemistry they've built up over the past 20-plus years. Together, they reinvent standards like "On Green Dolphin Street,""Nardis," "Footprints" and Turn Out the Stars" with rare sensitivity and telepathy, underscored by a slightly subversive streak. Tad Britton's delicate, colorist's touch and rubato flair on the kit sets the tone for freewheeling extrapolations Monk's... 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