Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Jeff Johnson - Free
by Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
Recorded live at the Old Town Ale House in Seattle, WA, Jeff Johnson and his cohorts have fashioned almost an hour's worth of artistic modern music expertly played by these Northwest jazz artists. The play list is well crafted and balanced with four originals by the trio and one each of a jazz and a classic standard. This CD is a set of six cerebral, intense performances that require a commitment on the part of the listener matching that of the... read more
Ira Sullivan & Stu Katz - A Family Affair - Live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
At the Otter Crest Jazz Weekend, I once had the amazing experience of witnessing Sullivan alternate between brassy things and reedy things. The only other guy I can think of who plays trumpet and saxophones really well is Seattle's Jay Thomas. Many remember Sullivan from a lengthy partnership with trumpeter Red Rodney. But live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase in his native Chicago, Sullivan rekindles a boyhood friendship with vibist Stu Katz. To... read more
The Spin Quartet - In Circles
by Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader
Trumpeter Chad McCullough, the nominal leader of this gritty quartet, recorded their superb debut album, In Circles (Origin), in his old home of Seattle before settling here in Chicago (he now teaches at DePaul). But his powerful playing and no-nonsense compositions almost seem to telegraph his move to the Windy City. With performances built around the propulsive, deep grooves sculpted by bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Kobie Watkins,... read more
Peter Erskine & the JAM Music Lab All-Stars - Bernstein in Vienna
by Felix Amador, Jazz Ese Ruido (Spain)
Leonard Bernstein's approach to jazz in works such as West Side Story has moved many musicians to play his songs and perpetuate them as standards. In the album we are listening to today, several of his best-known songs are reviewed with a Viennese line-up belonging to the JAM Music Lab University, directed by the pianist Danny Grissett and "starring" such a special guest as Peter Erskine, a drummer whose legend goes back a long way (in... read more
EEA - The Dark
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
EEA are a trio of jazz faculty members at the University of Nevada, Reno, consisting of saxophonist Peter Epstein, trumpeter Larry Engstrom, and pianist David Ake. The lack of additional rhythm instruments gives the players both plenty of freedom and responsibility, which they handle well. The trio's three group improvisations stand out with potent interplay, with the first sounding as if it could be used as a film soundtrack. Ake composed six... read more
Mike Pope - The Parts You Keep
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Geoffrey Keezer's piano introduction is stunning on an original composition by Mike Pope called "Misgivings." This tune was so captivating that I had to play it twice before I could go forward with reviewing this album. It's not only his piano elegance and delivery, but the melodic flow of this composition and the unexpected movement of this piece that hypnotizes me. Mike Pope's electric bass is melodic, playing his own song, almost like a... read more
Brent Jensen w/ Bill Anschell, Jeff Johnson, John Bishop - One More Mile
by John Barron, All About Jazz
Idaho-based saxophonist Brent Jensen seems to have found his musical soul-mates in the Pacific Northwest. For One More Mile, the College of Southern Idaho professor teams up with three of Seattle, Washington's finest?pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop?for an intriguing straight-ahead set of standards and originals.
Jensen is a well-rounded improviser who can get things cooking in a variety of styles and... read more
Dominic J. Marshall - Spirit Speech
by Hessel Fluitman, JazzFlits - Holland
The label Origin from Seattle has its own sound. In many Origin recordings appear a slithering calm, intelligently played jazz. Spirit Speech of the trio of pianist Dominic J. Marshall seems at first hearing a typical Origin album. Yet Marshall is too much of a stubborn European to a preferred body to squeeze. His game has more emotion than you expect from Origin CDs. Marshall makes intensive music. He builds the music continuously. His... read more
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