Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Josh Nelson - The Sky Remains
by Nick Davies, London Jazz News
The Sky Remains is pianist Josh Nelson's tribute to his hometown Los Angeles. Each of the album's 10 tracks is a story around a theme with references to the city. From songs like Run, which is the story of runner Mack Robinson who came second in the 200 metre dash at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, to Pacific Ocean Park about the nautical theme park located on a pier in Santa Monica. Every song is a story: lesser known and mysterious tales delivered... read more
Mark Taylor - Spectre
by John Barron, All About Jazz.com
Saxophonist Mark Taylor was announced Northwest Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2009 Earshot Jazz Awards. Such esteemed recognition may be due to his high profile supporting roles on Origin Records releases by Thomas Marriott and Matt Jorgensen + 451. For Spectre, his first recording as a leader in six years, the Seattle, Washington-based Taylor presents an inventive set of original, progressive jazz. The quartet setting features Taylor on... read more
Andrea Brachfeld - Brazilian Whispers
by Robert Silverstein, Roots Music Review
Among the first 2020 CD releases on Origin, Brazilian Whispers is the latest solo album from NYC based flutist / composer Andrea Brachfeld. A number of artists support Ms. Brachfeld on the 11-track album, including established names like Roni Ben-Hur (guitars), Harvie S (bass), Lincoln Goines (electric bass), as well as several drummers and percussionists and more. Playing jazz since she was 16, Andrea has worked with the best jazz musicians and... read more
Matt Jorgensen +451 - Hope
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Do they still give out Grammy Awards for best cover art? If so, here's a nominee: a peaceful retriever in repose, chin on the floor, captured in a sanguine tone on Matt Jorgensen + 451's Hope.
A great cover, of course, does not a successful CD make. It's the music.
The music on Hope -- sax and rhythm section outing with additional sax on five of the eleven tunes, with the warm tones of a trombone on another -- falls into that familiar... read more
Mimi Fox - This Bird Still Flies
by Andrew Gilbert, Berkeleyside
When Mimi Fox talks about visiting Joe Pass, I picture the legendary guitarist sitting lotus position on top of a Himalayan peak, a cigar tucked firmly into the corner of his mouth as he utters cryptic jazz koans.
Gruff and avuncular, Pass wasn't really the guru type, but more than any other player of his era he mastered the lonely art of unaccompanied jazz guitar, recording a series of classic solo albums aptly titled Virtuoso. Some three... read more
Doug Miller - Regeneration
by Chris Robinson, Earshot Jazz
Don't believe what your ears might tell you: there are only four guys on bassist Doug Miller's new album Regeneration.
The versatility and chops on display here, most notably by Jay Thomas, who plays trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor, soprano, and flute on this date, are either inspiring or discouraging, depending on your outlook. Joining Thomas is Miller, who wrote the majority of the album's compositions, Dave Peterson on guitar and keys, and... read more
The H2 Big Band - It Could Happen
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
Out of the gate it might be a good idea to explain the name of this outfit. It's simple. Co-led by Denver area trumpet ace Al Hood and pianist Dave Hanson, this is a no-punches pulled gathering of some of the premier studio cats in Los Angeles. Featured are such stars as Gary Foster, alto sax, clarinet and flute; Carl Saunders, trumpet; Andy Martin, trombone; Larry Koonse, guitar; and Joe LaBarbera, drums. Also on board are singer René Marie,... read more
Giacomo Gates - Centerpiece
by Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Daily News
Let's face it: Scat singing is an art best left to Ella Fitzgerald and very few others. But if a guy who spent 12 years in Alaska working as a bouncer and manning bulldozers wants to try, who are we to argue? Actually, Gates is one of the most extraordinary singers working in jazz today, the owner of a joyful baritone who has synthesized a host of influences - Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks and Sinatra among them - and turned them into something... read more
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