Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble - The Atwood Suites
by Stuart Derdeyn, London Free Press
I'll leave it to bandleader/saxophonist/composer Rathburn to describe his concept with this recording: "A setting of Margaret Atwood's poetry for jazz orchestra, sung by Luciana Souza, with special guests Bill Stewart (drummer) and Tim Hagans (trumpet)."
The 10 tracks over two albums are broken into the two three-part suites (Two Islands I, II, III and Power Politics I, II, III) and four other pieces and the playing is gorgeously understated... 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
Mark Taylor - Spectre
by Andrew Gilbert, Seattle Times
By taking his time and letting his music develop at its own pace, Mark Taylor has become one of the essential players on the Seattle jazz scene.
While steadily pursuing his own musical vision, the alto saxophonist has toiled fruitfully as a sideman, contributing to more than half a dozen excellent ensembles. From long-running institutions like the Jim Knapp Orchestra (which plays the first Monday of every month at the Seattle Drum School) to... read more
Jessica Williams - Freedom Trane
by Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
John Coltrane tributes are not hard to find in the jazz world, and different tributes will celebrate different periods of the saxophone innovator's career. Some tributes pay homage to Coltrane's hard bop period (as in &"Giant Steps," &"Moment's Notice," and &"Lazy Bird"), others pay homage to his modal post-bop period of roughly 1960-1964, and some pay homage to his radically avant-garde free jazz period of 1965-1967 (the last few years of his... read more
Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble - The Atwood Suites
by Richard B. Kamins, Step Tempest
Canadian-born poet, essayist, and novelist Margaret Atwood (born Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) 1939) is currently enjoying renewed popularity these days thanks to HULU's production of "The Handmaid's Tale" and NETFLIX's production of "Alias Grace." Her depictions of dystopian societies hits home in this time of Boko Haram and ISIS. Before her novels became popular, she wrote numerous volumes of poetry and that's where composer and saxophonist Andrew... read more
Sean Michael Giddings - Red Willow
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Along with piano, leader Sean Michael Giddings plays harmonium, whammy clav as well as some orchestral programming with his team of Sam Pankey/b and Daniel Dufour/dr. The orchestrations are rich and graceful, as on the waltzing "Opening Scene" (featuring Pankey) and the pretty and poetic "Sonata". Some New Orleans pulses have Giddings hitting the chords hard on "White Claw" and he gives a rich romantic piano intro to "Agafia".... read more
Thomas Marriott - Flexicon
by Marke Andrews, Vancouver Sun
Thomas Marriott, a Seattle-based trumpet and flugelhorn player, assembles a top-notch band from his hometown and, supplementing it with New York vibraphonist Joe Locke for two tracks, produces a disc that will put the Emerald City on the jazz map.
Marriott not only has a signature sound individually -- tuneful during solos, lyrical even when he plays at accelerated tempos -- he achieves a group sound as well. He often forms unison horn lines... read more
Hugo Fernandez - Cosmogram
by Tom Greenland, The New York City Jazz Record
Guitarist Hugo Fernandez, originally from Mexico, now based in Madrid, has released Cosmogram, his second date as a leader, with the help of countryman drummer Antonio Sanchez, Cuban saxophonist Ariel Bringuez and Spanish bassist Antonio Miguel. A relaxed set with hummable originals, all composed by Fernandez, the music is highly accessible with gentle surprises. Although he's the team captain, Fernandez is more of a midfielder at heart,... read more
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