Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Hal Galper - Live at the Berlin Philharmonic, 1977
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
One of the great you wish you were there moments is finally getting it's long over due release, this live date finds Galper fresh off the road from three years with Cannonball Adderley now fronting a band with the Brecker Brothers blowing away. With echoes of Miles in the air, along with a finger pounding that could only have led to early arthritis, this is a killer reminder why the late 70s was a golden and classic period for music no matter... read more
Bobby Broom - Bobby Broom Plays for Monk
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
If you're like me, you can never get enough Monk, whether it's the iconic pianist-composer himself, or, as in this case, an affectionate tribute by another player. Bobby Broom's recent album for Origin Records is a showcase of Monk's greatest hits, played with style and a bit of Monk-ian wit here and there by the talented Broom and his trio. Bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins keep it subtle and swinging in support of Broom's energy... read more
Sam Yahel - Truth And Beauty
by Rachel Swan, East Bay Express
The tawdry cover art on Sam Yahel Trio's new album � which echoes that of New Jack Swing albums of the '90s with its reflected glamour shots of the trench-coated Yahel on a New York City rooftop � might clue you into which direction the Hammond B3 organist is heading on his groove-driven fourth effort. Despite his platitudes about world-music influences, and the infectious tukkah-tukkah-tukkah drum beat on his title track, Yahel appears to be... read more
John La Barbera Big Band - Grooveyard
by Mark Griffith, Modern Drummer
The LaBarabera brothers (John, arranger; Pat, tenor saxophonist; and Joe, drummer) are musical legends, they have all built long careers and deserve our appreciation. They have all come together under John's baton to play his arrangements on Grooveyard. But this isn't just a family affair, saxophonist Steve Wilson, pianist Renee Rosnes, and bassist Rufus Reid, also make their strong presences felt. It's a wonderful modern big band recording, and... read more
Sam Yahel - Truth And Beauty
by Michael Ferguson, Jazz Review
Those left a little let down when Sam Yahel's organ wasn't anywhere on Joshua Redman's 2007 Back East, Truth and Beauty is your redemption. Fans should appreciate Redman, Yahel and Brian Blade recording as the Sam Yahel Trio name.
Saying that Yahel's got a command over the Hammond B3 isn't an understatement, it's taking the easy way out of trying to describe Yahel's unity with the instrument. Truth and Beauty shows Yahel at home on the B3,... read more
Anthony Branker & Imagine - What Place Can Be for Us?
by Jan Hocek, His Voice (Czech Republic)
In February, composer and conductor Anthony Branker released his eighth title on the renowned label Origin Records. The content of the new album is the ten-movement suite What Place Can Be For Us? about "seeking and finding a place that can be a refuge, a place of inclusion and belonging for people of color and people persecuted by oppression, war and hunger," as the author himself put it. And he is disappointed that he is not the United States,... read more
Brad Goode - Polytonal Dance Party
by John Frederick Moore, Jazziz
Trumpeter Brad Goode pulls a neat trick with this disc. He's taken a deliberately difficult approach to composing and arranging, then makes it sound fun rather than academic or pretentious. These 11 tracks contain enough polytonal harmonies to make a modernist-classical composer proud, but as the title suggests, you can danced to the music, as well.
Goode's method is most noticeable in his covers, especially on the '70s soul classic "Betcha... read more
Jay Thomas with the Oliver Groenewald Newnet - I Always Knew
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Thomas is a throwback to the extent that he is an admirer of the art of the arranger, he gives Groenwald equal billing and room to do whatever it takes to make the trumpeter look good. An obvious fan of jazz's great instrumental balladeers, this set takes it back to the day in spirit and delivers the goods in unequaled fashion. Real jazz for real jazzbo... read more
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