Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Where the Light Falls
by Mark Klafter, Amazon
At the ripe age of 72 David Friesen has achieved a major breakthrough with Where the Light Falls. He is an artist who has labored intensely and compassionately for a lifetime in the jazz harvest, inspiring and teaching many the joys of music, and he is reaping his bounty now. Joined by his Circle 3 Trio mates Greg Goebel on piano and Charlie Doggett on drums with guitarist Larry Koonse on several tracks, Mr. Friesen has been set free to compose... read more
Jeff Johnson - The Art of Falling
by Jon Davis, Expose
Bassist Jeff Johnson is one of the regulars in the Origin Records stable, and these two releases see him as leader, first of a trio with drummer Billy Mintz and reedman Hans Teuber, then with a quartet, adding pianist Randy Porter. Most of the selections on both are Johnson originals, with a few covers (Wayne Shorter, Henry Mancini, even Glenn Miller) thrown in. Johnson seems to favor a relatively free setting, using the composed tunes as... read more
Anthony Branker & Ascent - Dance Music
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Anthony Branker directs his sextet Ascent in this stunning collection of originals. "The Renewal" is an insistent post-bop vehicle with fiery solos by alto saxophonist Tia Fuller and trombonist Clifford Adams, Jr. and tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen, followed by Jonny King's driving McCoy Tyner-influenced piano. The hip "Dance Music" is a trio showcase for Bowen, bassist Kenny Davis, and drummer Adam Cruz. The hard-charging post-bop vehicle "The... read more
Dan Cray - Outside In
by Chris Spector, Midwest Review
Piano jazz inspired by a year of hanging out in Big Sur and it's environs, it's no wonder all those 50s jazzbos liked hanging around San Francisco. Playing with a wide openness that's new to his artillery, Cray's added colors and textures bring his New York vibe somewhere else indeed. Tasty, laid back sitting down jazz, Cray is on a roll. Well... read more
David Friesen - A Light Shining Through
by Chris Lunn, Ancient Victorys
Recorded in 2021 in Kyiv Ukraine with the Kyiv Mozart String Quartet and later adding in some percussion and saxophone brings Friesen's work to yet another level. This is personal for him. Ukraine is his mother's ancestral home, and Friesen made many trips there before the pandemic then the war made returning impossible. Some of those past trips included John Stowell, and both have toured extensively throughout Europe. Friesen heads back to... read more
Jessica Williams - The Art of the Piano
by -Chris Robinson, Earshot Jazz
College sports reporters, analysts and commentators (especially those on the West Coast) describe what they believe to be an East Coast bias when it comes to team rankings. The same can be said for the lack of national recognition of some of Seattle's ? and arguably the nation's ? best jazz artists. I dare you: just try and find any Seattle artists (save for Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz and recent NYC transplant Tom Varner) listed in JazzTimes'... read more
Alex Graham - The Good Life
by David Franklin, JazzTimes April 2006
Altoist Alex Graham's The Good Life is easy-going, straightahead post-Coltrane hard bop executed with skill by all involved. Although released in late 2005, it was recorded less than three years after Graham's 1995 debut, Countdown. And it, too, includes Rick Roe on piano. This time, however the instrumentation is a basic quartet, and the bassist and drummer are the veterans Rodney Whitaker and Joe Strasser.
While the nicely varied program... read more
Dave Liebman | John Stowell - Petite Fleur: The Music of Sidney Bechet
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
On their third pairing for the label, this duo tackles the works of Sidney Bechet with Leib giving such an expected performance that duo is all that's needed here. For all the various miles he's racked up under his belt, this return to the ground zero of soprano sax is a mind blower. With an after-hours and a from the heart feel that rings genuine, give the grand master another gold star for his unerring ability to hit it out of the park... read more
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