Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Ira Sullivan & Stu Katz - A Family Affair - Live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan spent a good while working around Chicago before leaving for Florida in the early '60s, though he retained a significant fan base in his old hometown. This live recording made in 2010 over four nights at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase is a reunion, featuring vibraphonist Stu Katz, who while in his teens had regularly sat in with Sullivan over a half-century earlier before pursuing a law career. Joining them in the... read more
Ben Patterson - The Way of the Groove
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Big-toned trombonist Ben Patterson digs in deep with his team of Shawn Purcell/g, Harry Appelman/B3-p-synth, Paul Henry/b, Todd Harrison/dr, Luis Hernandez/ts and even joins in the vocals with Evan Reiger and Purcell. His horn fills the room on his solo intro to "What Happens Next" before Henry's electric bass takes the team into the world of soulful harmonies and pulses. Purcell's guitar gives some Soul Train feel to "This and That" and digs a... read more
Scott Reeves Quintet - The Alchemist
by Delarue, Lucid Culture, NYC
Scott Reeves got his start as a trombonist, has played a lot of big band gigs over the years and became a fearsomely good composer of jazz for large ensembles. He's put out two big band albums and both are excellent. He also has a thing for unorthodox instruments: these days, his two main axes are the alto flugelhorn and the even rarer alto valve trombone. Like so many artists during the lockdown, he found himself going through his archives and... read more
Manzanita Quintet - Osmosis
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
The tried and true quintet formation, set in stone by alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in the late 1940s, is back in 2022 with the Reno, Nevada-based Manzanita Quintet.
So how do they give a fresh shine to a sound that could be considered "done to death?" On Osmosis the guys go at it with some fresh compositions, four by the group's bassist, Hans Halt, two more from their saxophonist, Peter Epstein, one from... read more
Anthony Branker & Word Play - Dialogic
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
On his recorded output, Anthony Branker has shown consistent growth as a composer/arranger working with small groups. For this session he is musical director for a quartet featuring several veterans of earlier recordings, including saxophonist Ralph Bowen, bassist Kenny Davis, and drummer Adam Cruz, adding pianist Jim Ridl. Branker's writing style isn't easy to classify, as he fits equally into post-bop and modern creative, while his skills... read more
Jessica Williams - Billy's Theme: A Tribute to Dr. Billy Taylor
by Ric Bang, The Davis Enterprise, September 14, 2006
Jessica Williams was 4 when she discovered her grandmother's piano.
By age 7, little Jessica was taking formal lessons; she soon was accepted at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory. While still in her teens, she was playing regularly with a jazz combo; by 20 she had moved to California and literally had her pick of the dozens of groups performing there.
She's a great pianist, and she also writes and arranges prolifically. Her discography... read more
Michael Waldrop Big Band - Time Within Itself
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
4 1/2 STARS Drummer Michael Waldrop has named his inaugural album as leader of a big band Time Within Itself. An even more appropriate name might have been It's About Time. Waldrop, who has taught for the past decade or so at Eastern Washington University, boasts a resume as long as one's arm. It includes a master's degree from the University of Memphis and a doctorate from the University of North Texas where he was a member of the... read more
Sam Yahel - Truth And Beauty
by Larry Hollis, Cadence, Oct-Dec, 2007
If one were to go back and listen to Sam Yahel's debut disc "Searchin'" on the Naxos label, after giving a quick listen to "Truth and Beauty", it might seem like one was hearing two completely different oragnists. That effort sported the horns of Eric Alexander and Ryan Kisor on four of the nine numbers while his following recordings have all been within the trio context of organ, drums, and either guitar or saxophone. Brian Blade was on his... read more
Looking for a specific review?
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Search Reviews:
Recently Added Reviews:
David Friesen & John Stowell - Interplay Variations
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Ron Vincent - Ray's Hat Trick
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Clay Giberson - Moment's Notice
by Mark Griffith, Modern Drummer
Ron Vincent - Ray's Hat Trick
by Mark Griffith, Modern Drummer
Bob Nell & Michael Bisio Trios - We Are Here
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Andrew Kim - Lineage
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Shifty Paradigms
by D. Glenn Daniels, The Jazz Page
Janis Siegel - The Art of Vocalese
by JD Amorosi, JazzTimes
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Scott Yanow, The New York City Jazz Record
Marc Seales - People & Places
by Scott Yanow, The New York City Jazz Record