Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Phil Kelly - Convergence Zone
by Stephen Fratallone, Jazz Connection
Composer and arranger Phil Kelly has written volumes of stuff during the past 40 years for recording artists, bands, symphony pops, film, television, and commercials and now at age 65, he has finally gotten around to write some music for himself. The fruit of his labors are on his debut CD for Origin Records, Convergence Zone: Phil Kelly And The NW Prevailing Winds.
Convergence Zone is an apt title for this project. A "convergence zone" is... read more
Josh Nelson - The Sky Remains
by Lynn Rene Bayley, The Art Music Lounge
Pianist and composer Josh Nelson's new album, The Sky Remains, due for release September 15, is a mosaic of his impressions of his home town, Los Angeles. Live performances of the music from this album feature multimedia film footage to enhance the audience's experience.
More often than not, programmatic music designed to depict a specific location or event fall flat for those whose experience does not include those places or images. In... read more
Oscar Hernandez & Alma Libre - Love the Moment
by Russ Musto, The New York City Jazz Record
The sophomore release from Oscar Hernández & Alma Libre finds the leader of the Grammy-Award winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra in the more intimate setting of a quintet, shining a brighter spotlight on his skills as a soloist and composer/arranger. The band—saxophonist/flutist Justo Almario, electric bassist Oskar Cartaya, drummer Jimmy Branly and percussionist Christian Moraga—plays with fire and beauty throughout ten new
melodically... read more
Margo Rey - The Roots of Rey | Despacito Margo
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Margo Rey sings in English, Spanish and Portuguese while delivering Salsa, Latin and Brazilian versions of jazz standards and beyond. With Oscar Hernandez/p, Jimmy Brandly/dr, Rene Camacho/b, Ramon Stagnano/g-tre, Justo Almario/fl-ss and Joe De Leon/per, she gets clever in producing Afro Cuban takes of "Angel Eyes" and "Speak Low" while simmering like a coffee pot on an assertive "You Don't Know What Love Is". She saunters with seduction on... read more
Tom Collier - Mallet Jazz
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Wander into the parking lot of a high school marching band field tournament, through a labyrinth school buses and picnic tables, into throngs of young musicians - teenagers in small packs cruising on foot, gossiping, flirting, maybe throwing a football around as a cold November dusk settles in - and there always seems to be a backdrop of percussion, impromptu practice sessions, the marimbas and the vibraphones ringing out. It's a sound that... read more
Mark Taylor - Spectre
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Fresh off a regional "best instrumentalist" award, sax virtuoso Mark Taylor returned to bandleader efforts with 2009's Spectre, a romp through a fair set of originals. Most compositions here come directly from Taylor's pen, but there are a few additional items -- two contributions from pianist Gary Fukushima and one from bassist Jeff Johnson, and one entry from Jim Knapp, a big-band leader with whom Taylor had been keeping busy over the course... read more
Chad McCullough & Bram Weijters - Imaginary Sketches
by Tom D'Antoni, Oregon Music News
Seattle-based trumpeter Chad McCullough has quickly come into his own. His addition to The Kora Band put it over the top. Last year's album The Sky Cries with Slovakian pianist Michal Vanoucek along with Portland bassist Dave Captein, and Seattle's Matt Jorgensen (drums) and Mark Taylor (sax) was well received.
On the heels of that comes a collaboration with Antwerp-based pianist Bram Weijters which shows off McCullough's warm lyricism in a... read more
Bill Anschell - Figments
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Pianist Bill Anschell normally involves himself in projects that shine with a high polish, recordings like the Wellstone Conspiracy's collaborative Motives (Origin, 2010) and his own More to the Ear than Meets the Eye (Origin, 2006), or in the sideman slot on the marvelous Reunion, led by saxophonists Pete Christlieb and Hadley Caliman. In addition, Anschell served as Nnenna Freelon's pianist/arranger/musical director for a number of years,... read more
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