Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Chris Walden Big Band - Home Of My Heart
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
German-born, Los Angeles-based composer/arranger/flugelhornist Chris Walden looks way too young to be this good at a task as daunting as big band writing. He looks almost too young to be sitting in with the band, though he is pushing the ripe old age of forty. But he started early at the art, writing big band arrangements while he was still in high school, and later putting together the charts for the Frankfurt Radio Big Band and the RIAS Big... read more
Anne Drummond - Revolving
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
Seattle-born Anne Drummond's first instrument wasn't a flute. It was a recorder: a first for many children because of the relative ease with which simple melodies can be played. Introduced in medieval times, the instrument remains quite popular today. As often is the case, the piano followed; that was her primary instrument when she entered New York's Manhattan School of Music at age 18. She also had replaced the recorder with a flute by that... read more
Dawn Clement - Tandem
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A real piano left fielder, Clement teams up for duets in various formats with real hitter pals of hers she admires. Even the chestnuts on parade take on a new life for the left leaning ears. Not for the feint of heart, this is one of those excursions where so little can say so... read more
Hadley Caliman - Straight Ahead
by John Barron, All About Jazz
Seattle-based saxophonist Hadley Caliman returns to the recording studio with his working band for Straight Ahead, the follow-up to his superb Gratitude (Origin, 2008). Aided by trumpeter/producer Thomas Marriott, pianist Eric Verlinde, bassist Phil Sparks and drummer Matt Jorgensen, the 78-year old Caliman charges head-on through a set of standards, jazz classics and original gems.
The disc opens with the listener-friendly "Cigar... read more
John Bishop - Nothing If Not Something
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
John Bishop heads one of the most dynamic new jazz labels, Origin Records, out of Seattle, Washington. In addition to his chores running the company, Bishop also designs some of the coolest cover art out there. Origin has released two hundred-plus CDs, garnering four Grammy nominations along the way.
Bishop plays some drums, too, co-leading a fully intregrated piano trio, New Stories, and he sits in the drummer's chair on dozens of Origin... read more
EEA - The Dark
by David Kane, Cadence
Highly original is the fine music to be found on The Dark. EEA is a trio of a slightly unusual configuration: piano, trumpet, and sax. In the hands of these fine musicians, this combination reveals itself to be a most agreeable one indeed. The music consists of a handful of excellent originals penned by pianist Ake together with two lesser heard Ellington pieces, "Heaven" and "African Flower" together with a moody retelling of Gismonti's... read more
Bobby Broom - Upper West Side Story
by Richard Scheinin, San Jose Mercury News
Best 20 jazz albums (so far) of 2012
Bobby Broom: Upper West Side Story (Origin). This is a super-good CD from Broom, one of the most unpretentious (and best) jazz guitarists. He plays as if he's playing for his life: Nothing "clever" about it, though if you were to analyze his solos, they probably would turn out to be way more advanced than those of the clever guys. Broom -- who played for years with Sonny Rollins --... read more
Greta Matassa - Portrait
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Away from recording for almost a decade, this regional winner with a worldwide reach (when she wants it) shows how classic jazz vocal is done right. With a great eclectic sense of material, Matassa knows how to dive into every note and find even more than was put there originally. A real pro that's glad to do all the heavy lifting so you can sit back and listen, you might as well let her carry out this agenda to the max. Hot... read more
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