Miki Petkovki’s unique approach here on Origins truly challenges listeners to step outside the box and experience an experience. His use of "hybrid times," irregular time signatures, can and most likely will catch listeners off guard, but there is a pretty, almost innocent, presence about the music, which is an interesting hybrid in and of itself. It mixes classical influences with jazz and mild hints of other genres. Its spectrum of well-arranged piano-oriented pieces is as refreshing as it is different.

Very well-versed and well-traveled, Petkovski (who has a quarter of a century’s worth of musical experience under his belt) showcases his skills in a manner that incorporates his experiences in various other regions with Western music. He admits that the irregular time signatures not extremely popular in American music--can cause certain "tensions;" so, he balances them with "more friendly to the ear harmonies and melodies." "Nowadays," "Dance in 9/8," and "A Shop in Struga" are good examples of this.

While it was initially a bit difficult for me to catch and get my head around this style, it is well worth the chase for those who enjoy discovering such novel approaches. Smooth jazz or even straight-ahead jazz Origins is not. However, what it is may prove to be the right prescription for a harried world, as its easy listening qualities seek to soothe (albeit a bit difficult to do until one has a real handle on the time signatures).

Petkovski has dedicated a lot of effort to developing the talent and ability of young artists, and his work as head of the Section for the Jazz Piano Category of the Peel Music Festival in Canada is well respected by his peers and serious jazz students alike. Listening to this atypical collection, one can definitely see why.