Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John Stowell - Solitary Tales
by Peter Westbrook, Cadence
Solo guitarist Stowell, heard on Solitary Tales, has a sound harking back to Classical guitar playing with none of the rhythmic stiffness sometimes associated with it. The opening track, "Everything I Love," moves from chiming rubato passages to an improvisation that alternated between thoughtful, climbing episodes and swinging single-note lines. I was reminded of Joe Pass' solo recording for Pablo--but where Pass occasionally overwhelmed me... read more
Mimi Fox - This Bird Still Flies
by Bruce Lindsay, Jazz Journal (London)
Mimi Fox has been playing guitar for over four decades and released her first album in the 1980s, but This Bird Still Flies is her first all-acoustic recording - mostly on a Taylor acoustic, with Day Tripper featuring a baritone guitar. Mixing self-penned tunes with jazz standards and a couple of Lennon/McCartney numbers, the album gives Fox a chance to show off her versatility on the acoustic instruments.
Fox holds the attention... read more
Marc Seales - People & Places
by Mark Griffith, Modern Drummer
Pianist Marc Seales's quartet recording featuring saxophonist Ernie Watts is a primarily mellow affair with tunes like "Rue Cler," "For You My Dear," and "Ascending Truth." However, Wayne Shorter's Weather Report tune "Palladium" and "The Muddy Chicago Blues" do kick the intensity up a bit. Drummer Moyes Lucas Jr. and bassist Bruce Lett keep the intensity up on the ballads and light a fire under the soloists. Watts' legendary and soulful... read more
Doug Beavers 9 - Two Shades of Nude
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
Several years ago, trombonist/composter/arranger Doug Beavers released his excellent debut album: Jazz, Baby, a compilation of children's tunes, rearranged in a big band jazz format. Two Shades Of Nude, his sophomore release, illustrates how far he has advanced in the interim.
Beavers' instrumental skills continue to be exceptional, and his talents as a composer and arranger have improved remarkably. He's working with a nonet on this... read more
Meridian Odyssey - Second Wave
by Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
The first minutes sound deceptively quiet until Martin Budde 's guitar solo creates enthusiasm, all in Pat Metheny style, followed later by tenor saxophonist Santosh Sharma who pours oil on the fire. His great examples are clearly Joshua Redman and Chris Potter.
The contributions of the other group members (keyboardist Dylan Hayes, bassist Ben Feldman, drummer Xavier Lecouturier ) are also marked by the same urgent but strongly controlled... read more
Dan Dean - Fanfare for the Common Man
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
5-STARS Songs Without Words (Origin Classical, 2017) opened the door to Dan Dean's giant step into "going vocal"— an innovative approach to his choir-like voice-layering presentations of classical music. Rain Painting (Origin Records, 2021), teaming Dean with guitarist John Stowell, proved a perfect digression into Stowell's distinctive compositions, employing Dean's vocal harmonies, bass playing and drum programming with... read more
Todd Bishop - Little Played Little Bird
by Rebecca Ruth, WYCE Music Journal
Accomplished photographer, landscape oils painter and drummer, Todd Bishop, may be familiar to you because of his group, Pop Art 4, which is dedicated to exploring commercial music of the 60s and 70s. (Such as Todd Bishop Pop Art 4: 69 Annee Erotique: Music of Serge Gainsbourg.) Except for the classic "Lonely Woman", you've likely not heard most of the songs on Little Played Little Bird. That's because band leader,... read more
John McLean - Better Angels
by Ric Bang, The Davis Enterprise
Thursday, July 3, 2008
A lot of good guitarists are recording these days, and John McLean is one of the better ones.
McLean, who works the Chicago area these days, has been performing for more than 25 years and has been involved in more than two dozen releases by other artists during that time. This is just his second album as a leader/composer/arranger.
Like so many of today's musicians, McLean is a multi-degreed artist; he earned his bachelor of music... read more
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