Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Metropolitan Jazz Octet - The Bowie Project
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The Chicago ensemble Metropolitan Jazz Octet joins forces with the vocalist Paul Marinaro for this very well crafted listen that illuminates David Bowie's work with much creativity.
The aptly titled "Slow Burn" opens the listen with the soulful, emotive brass meshing with Bob Stutter's warm keys and Rob Rummage's firm drums in the very dreamy climate, and "5:15 The Angels Have Gone" follows with Marinaro's expressive vocals being complemented... read more
speak - Speak
by Brad Walseth, JazzChicago.net
Some of the most exciting music of the year has emerged from Seattle, where Saigon-born trumpeter Cuong Vu (Pat Metheny) teaches at the University of Washington; and on Speak, the faculty advisor sat in on this recording with some of his talented students on an album of their original compositions. Citing varied influences from Ligeti to Toto, Speak combines the energy of progressive rock and polyrhymic jazz. Straggering toward you like that... read more
Benjamin Boone with the Ghana Jazz Collective - Joy
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
When you think of a Fulbright Scholar heading off to deepest darkest Africa, do you picture a white boy that understands funk? Pairing here with his pals, Ghana Jazz Collective, the two cultures collide in a jolly mash up that proves once again that music is the universal language and how easy it is to resolve any conflict if you really want to. Upbeat, badass stuff that's a gasser throughout, it's too bad more white boys can't have this much... read more
Jack Mouse - Range of Motion
by Tim Willcox, Oregon Jazz Scene
Mouse is a veteran of the Chicago jazz scene. A quick gander at his bio reveals a sideman?s dream. Mouse has spent decades performing with a who?s who of jazz greats. His newest album is collection of 10 originals, mostly written by Mouse himself. His drum style lies somewhere between Shelly Manne, Paul Motian and Joe Morello. Loose, painterly and swinging are adjectives that come to mind on hearing him. His writing style is a smorgasbord, from... read more
Bill Anschell - Shifting Standards
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Veteran pianist Bill Anschell joins together with Jeff Johnson/b and D'Vonne Lewis/dr for some original readings of jazz standards. A slower than expected "A Night In Tunsia" has Anschell probing deeply while he plays hide and seek with Johnson on "Cheek to Cheek." Lewis' cymbal dances on a bluesy and chiming "Jitterbug Waltz" while the team paints a impressionistic spaciousness on "Soul Eyes." Anschell has a gorgeous touch throughout, working... read more
Ted Brancato - The Next Step
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Keyboardist Ted Brancato brings to the field a mix of acoustic and electric musicians including Ron Carter/b as well as a reed and brass section for this collection of material that goes from funk to cheery acoustic. Easy and bluesy jazz comes out on pieces such as "Kinshasa" and "I Don't Want to Fall" while the funk factor is spotlighted on the percussive "Karate Kid" and "It's The Little Things." What used to be called "Adult... read more
Tom Collier - Across the Bridge
by Matt Weiman, KJHK, Lawrence, KS
Tom Collier is a very impressive vibraphone player and holds nothing back on his album, Across The Bridge. Accompanied by Bill Frisell on guitar, Larry Coryell on guitar, Dan Dean on bass, John Bishop on drums, and Ted Poor on drums, Tom weaves his way magically through nine original compositions. It feels like elevator jazz at times with the vibraphone but it is so much more than that. Collier gets complex with melody lines and grooves.
"The... read more
Upper Left Trio - Cycling
by Lynn Darroch, Oregonian
A COMFORTABLE RIDE
The smorgasbord of styles under the umbrella of jazz these days -- from smooth to rough, swing to funk -- means that CD reviews must go beyond comments on purely musical qualities to consider how listeners might use the music, be it for dancing, meditation, background or stimulation.
"Cycling," the first CD by the Portland contemporary jazz group Upper Left Trio, could fill several of those functions.
All... read more
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