Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Jim Knapp Orchestra - It's Not Business, It's Personal
by Michael van Gee, Jazz 'N' More (Switzerland)
4-STARS This newly released CD by Seattle-based trumpeter, composer, bandleader and arranger Jim Knapp, who died in November 2021 at the age of 82, was recorded in 2009. Composer and arranger Maria Schneider praises: "Jim Knapp's music is full of intensity, emotions and creative textures and should be better known. It is among the best that is currently being written." Unfortunately, Knapp is only known to insiders, although he was... read more
Mamutrio - Primal Existence
by Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation
Jesse Dockx, drummer extraordinaire from Belgium, helped to found this absolutely tasty jazz trio, and with his mentors & mates Piet Verbist (bass) and Lieven Cambre (saxophone), they put together some tunes you won't soon forget... a "prime" example of that is the 5:26 "To Remember"... great drum intro from Jesse, with his partners weaving in right before the one minute mark... you'll listen to this one over & over again (this reminds me quite... read more
Jessica Williams - Billy's Theme: A Tribute to Dr. Billy Taylor
by Jim Santella, Cadence
The solo piano performance on Billy's Theme features Jessica Williams with a loving tribute to Dr. Billy Taylor. With her program of original compositions, she's captured the essence of his appreciation for pure melody and all the other simple pleasures found in good music. Like Taylor, Williams prefers to let her heart sing these musical praises instead of relying on muscular technique or some other tool that raises awareness through... read more
Robby Ameen - Live at the Poster Museum
by SRIRAM GOPAL, DownBeat
4-STARS Like many musicians, Robby Ameen had to get creative to manifest performance opportunities during the pandemic. A vintage poster store in Manhattan offered Ameen space to conduct online lessons and present a weekly concert, the last of which was recorded to produce Live At The Poster Museum (Origin). Ameen is at the forefront of Afro-Cuban drumming, as this outing reinforces. (Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" adds straightahead... read more
Jessica Williams - Freedom Trane
by , OregonMusicNews.com
How can two hands playing piano sound like John Coltrane playing saxophone. Jessica Williams' do. The number of albums she has recorded over a stellar thirty-five year career is astounding. Her last album Touch is in Dan McClenaghan's Top Ten for 2010 on AllAboutJazz ? AND Scott Yanow's Top Ten for 2010 in JazzTimes.
And who do we find her playing with? Portland musicians: drummer Mel Brown and bassist Dave Captein.
The album.... read more
Nanami Haruta - The Vibe
by Willard Jenkins, Album Liner Notes
Unlike other members of the family of western instruments, the ranks of the trombone are a bit exclusive—perhaps even more exclusive in the art of the improvisers, the jazz landscape. Which is yet more reason to celebrate the arrival of a new trombone voice in jazz music. Her name is Nanami Haruta and she arrives at this debut recording moment from Sapporo in the Hokkaido prefecture, the northernmost of Japan's main islands. Hokkaido is known... read more
Zem Audu - Spirits
by DanMichael Reeves, Revive Music
You'll want to familiarize yourself quickly with saxophonist Zem Audu. The New York-based musician was born in Nigeria before his parents quickly relocated his family to England. "The question I always get asked is, 'Where are you from?' I don't want to neglect that I was born in Nigeria and just say I'm English because of my passport," shares Audu. "I don't want to not mention that I live in the States after being here for seven years. And I... read more
Scenes - Along the Way
by Matthew Warnock, Just Jazz Guitar
Scenes is a trio consisting of guitarist John Stowell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop. These three master musicians come together on Along The Way to produce one of the most captivating albums of the past year.
All ten tunes on this album were written by either Stowell or Johnson. Ever tune has its own unique voice, yet they all come together to produce a continuity that unites the entire album. Of particular note is the... read more
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