Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Brad Wheeler - The Future Was Yesterday
by Jim Santella, Cadence, December 2006
Brad Wheeler's original compositions fill The Future Was Yesterday with the kind of tension and release that drives much of modern Jazz. The walking bass and ride cymbal provide release, while the leader's tight saxophone lines and the pianist's forceful harmonic landscapes color the session with a balanced palette. Guitarist John Moulder, who appears on four tracks, delivers an equally forceful array of harmonic textures that drive Wheeler's... read more
Brent Jensen / Rob Walker Quintet - Art of the Groove
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
The Brent Jensen/Rob Walker Quintet opens in a mellow groove and stays there much of the way on this backward- glancing yet quite contemporary album that wouldn't have been out of place in the bop-based Blue Note / Prestige catalogs of the late '50s - early '60s. Alto saxophonist Jensen and trumpeter Walker offer an earnest tribute to their musical predecessors -- especially the legendary Miles Davis -- without imitating them, choosing instead... read more
Greg Yasinitsky - YAZZ Band: New Normal
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Greg Yasinitsky wrote and arranged all the music here, as well as plays every type of sax along with his rotating 10 piece band of hard swingers. The Tunes are all upbeat and muscular, with everyone getting a chance in the spotlight. The leader's tenor teams with Vern Sielert's trumpet on the pumping opener "GP" while a more romantic "Song For Laura" includes Teo Ciaverella's rich piano. David Jarvis supplies the backbeat for the bopping "Blues... read more
Ryan Cohan - Originations
by Paul Rauch, All About Jazz
4 1/2 STARS There is a risk in creating art that reflects in essence, one's own personal journey. What that journey reveals within the context of one life may not carry the same value to a collective audience. In the case of Chicago based composer/pianist Ryan Cohan, his explorative delve into his own bi-cultural roots as presented on his new release, Originations (Origin, 2020), would not resonate with listeners if the music itself was... read more
Metropolitan Jazz Octet - The Bowie Project
by Jeff Becker, Jazz Sensibilities
When legends from disparate realms converge, the outcome is either a harmonious melding or a discordant mismatch. Metropolitan Jazz Octet's (MJO) The Bowie Project, under the spellbinding vocals of Paul Marinaro, ventures into a daunting territory: fusing the rock genius of David Bowie with the intricate rhythms of chamber jazz. The outcome is an enthralling tribute, reverberating with the known and the novel.
Diving deep into Bowie's... read more
Sam Yahel - From Sun to Sun
by John Ephland, Downbeat Magzine
***1/2 stars
This trio side has a lot going for it. There's a fetching lyrical quality to much of what keyboardist Sam Yahel offers on From Sun to Sun, and an experimental side as well. It has to be tough to parlay standards and originals in the classic, tried-and-true piano -trio format and still sound like yourself. Yahel plays ear-catching Hammond B3 organ touches and treatments, and in a number of different time signatures and still... read more
Tim Davies Big Band - The Expensive Train Set
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Drummer Tim Davies leads two different bands here, one from Los Angeles, USA and the other from Melbourne, Australia, and they both swing with class. For the California band, the horn sections show lots of punch on "Minor Incidents" and the moody and richly textured title track as Brian Owen/tp and Jacques Voyemant/tb contribute rich solos. The Aussies do a hip rework of the classic "Sing Sing Sing" with Tony Hicks' clarinet and the reeds do... read more
Les DeMerle - Comin' Home Baby
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Drummer Les DeMerle leads a swinging band during a concert on a Celerity Eclipse Cruise Ship that toured from Copenhagen to Estonia. The crowd sure had a fun time between stops, as the team of DeMerle with Johannes Bjerregaard/p, Chris Luard/b and vocalist Bonnie Eisele keep the mood upbeat and swinging.
The recording itself is a bit tinny on the piano, but its hard to resist the bouncy instrumentals like "Shiny Stockings" and "Manteca" that... read more
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