Origin Records Reviews



Ben Thomas Tango Project - The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle
by Rudolf Radnai, avxforum.hu (Budapest)

Ben Thomas' Tango Project album has a particularly interesting and unusual sound, the title of which evokes the memory of a famous chef, and despite the bandoneon sound, the music has little to do with Argentine tango, but rather the imprints of Thomas's personality, layered polyrhythms, with inventive melodies and surprising... read more

Scenes - Silent Photographer
by DS, Western Australian Guitar Player Society

Always great to hear John play in such an interactive trio! The CD features tunes written by jazz composers/players. "Black Eyes" is a Wayne Shorter tune. The guitar solo has nice triplets and chordal passages, nice electric bass solo follows before guitar and drum trades. "Three French Nuns" by Stowell shows a more angular and moody side to his playing. "Chan's Song" is by Herbie Hancock, it is a feature for bass with some lovely... read more

Amit Friedman - Sunrise
by Yotam Ziv, Columbus Music Magazine (Israel)

BEST ISRAELI JAZZ OF THE DECADE The "sunrise" of composer and saxophonist Amit Friedman came after quite a few years when he played as a sideman with many good musicians. Friedman defines himself as an autodidact. Although he studied jazz at Thelma Yellin and took individual lessons here and there, he paved the way for himself. This is probably why his music is so accessible and pleasant to listen to, but not at the expense of depth and... read more

John Gross / Billy Mintz - Beautiful You
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide

Beautiful You is a surprising work of modern free jazz from Portland's John Gross on the tenor sax and LA transplant Billy Mintz on drums. The sound is a little sparse for the majority of the album, due largely to the fact that there are only two instruments involved, but also to the style of composition embraced here, with heavy use of empty space and quiet accompaniment. The album opens with the energetic Shmear, giving Mintz plenty of room to... read more

Ben Thomas Tango Project - Eternal Aporia
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly

I'm not sure where the internal contradiction is in Ben Thomas' album, where he plays bandoneon, vibes and percussion with Eric Likkel/c-bcl, Steve Schermer/b Gretchen Yanover/cel, Brandon Vance/v and Jonathan Geer/p. The music seems to make perfect sense, bringing together right Argentine sounds with an occasional klezmer feel. The strings and piano are only together for a handful of songs, making you beg for more, creating a rich framework for... read more

Brent Jensen - Trios
by Jeff Krow, Audiophile Audition

Sweet & Sour - A Challenging Combination

Brent Jensen's 2002 Origin release, "The Sound of a Dry Martini" was my introduction to Jensen. It was a tribute to the late Paul Desmond. It was highly enjoyable, often uncannily getting Desmond's dry, light, feathery tone down to a "T". Being unfamiliar with Jensen, I could not tell whether he was intentionally intending to mimic Desmond - a true feat as Desmond's tone is fairly unique; much like no... read more

Jessica Williams - Songs of Earth
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz.com

Jessica Williams, with her last four CDs on Origin Records, is like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. Earlier in her career, Williams?who once held the piano chair in drummer Philly Joe Jones band?wrapped her artistry in the Great American Song on Some Ballads Some Blues (Red and Blue, 1999), along with stellar tributes to departed star pianists Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk.

Around the beginning of her teaming with Origin... read more

Tim Davies Big Band - Dialmentia
by Dick Crockett, The Voice, Sacramento

What Tim Davies does is morphing musical dreams into themes of Kenton ultra dynamics. As the first suggests, Counting To Infinity,"with a Didjeridu opening...Almost like a flailing guitar open, down, instinctual and nasty. That's what a didjeridu will do for you. Whoa, that's different! Throws you in a magical way, doesn't it?

"Hanging On A Thread" creates a more con temporary rapturous interlude, and the Davies holes it up with a classic... read more

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