Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Geof Bradfield - African Flowers
by Don Lerman, Cadence
African Flowers from Chicago saxophonist Geof Bradfield is an evocative suite of music that expresses in Bradfield's musical terms the colorful spirit of another land and culture. Bradfield traveled to Africa in February 2008 with the Ryan Cohan Quartet, performing with the group in Rwanda, Congo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Bradfield had delved into the history and litera�ture of those countries prior to the trip, and afterwards explored... read more
Hal Galper - Trip the Light Fantastic
by Sharon Mizrahi, All About Jazz
LIVE REVIEW - THE NEW SCHOOL, NYC, 3/6/2012
"Here's how it's gonna work," said pianist Hal Galper. Appearing with bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop last month, Galper jumpstarted the New School release concert for Trip The Light Fantastic with a frank rundown of the evening to come. And once the group delved into "Alice in Wonderland," it became clear just how the evening would work: as an eclectic stretch of... read more
Greta Matassa - All This And Heaven Too
by Matt Collar, All Music Guide
Greta Matassa has a sexy voice. Something like June Christy or Carmen McRae waking up from a nap. It's this beckoning, warm approach that undoubtedly had much to do with her being voted the best jazz vocalist four times in Seattle's jazz magazine Earshot. Like many regional performers, Matassa has relied mostly on live performances to shape her career and has developed a growing fan base in her native Pacific Northwest. All This and Heaven Too,... read more
Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra - Refractions
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Refractions is a beautiful album, one in which almost everything composer / arranger Kim Richmond touches turns to gold. For one who was largely unimpressed by the Concert Jazz Orchestra's previous endeavors, that's saying a lot. But I'm only too happy to change course and sprinkle praise where it is due. If every album by a "concert orchestra" were as picturesque and persuasive as this one, I'd not hesitate to give all of 'em an... read more
Jim Norton Collective - Time Remembered: Compositions of Bill Evans
by Jon Ross, Downbeat
For a musical study of Bill Evans, baritone saxophonist Jim Norton didn't simply go for a greatest hits collection. Instead, he chose tunes that form a complete picture of the pianist, culling his collection from less-heard sources and transferring these small-ensemble recordings into big band charts.
The noted San Francisco-based sideman assembled some of the best Bay Area musicians for the tribute, players who excel at ensemble work. Each... read more
Carl Schultz - The Road to Trantor
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Saxophonist Carl Schultz composed The Road to Trantor as the soundtrack to a science fiction film. The kicker is that the film exists only in Schultz's head. When writing each song, he tried to envision the scene in which it would be used. In that sense, the music is thematic, even though the themes are known only to Schultz.
In charting his singular course, the California-based artist drew heavily on novels by Isaac Asimov. "Trantor" is one... read more
Matt Jorgensen +451 - Hope
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
The fourth album from Matt Jorgensen's 451 group continues the line of somewhat traditional modern jazz (if that can be considered a proper name for the style) with a definite forward-thinking aspect built in. The album introduces itself with a groove-laden (and aptly named) "Slinky," powered in part by Phil Sparks' powerful bass, before moving into an interesting cover of a Coldplay song. The first part of the "Hope" series (a trio of title... read more
speak - Speak
by Stef Gijssels, Freejazz Blog
Trumpeter Cuong Vu is a very demanded and active musician. He plays with Pat Metheny, he has his own quartet, and plays on the album of many other musicians (Myra Melford, Chris Speed). His last album, "Vu-Tet", already dates back from December 2007, but here we find him back on new albums by two young bands, adding more than just his trumpet-playing to shape their overall sound.
Speak is a young band from Seattle, Washington, with members... read more
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