Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Matt Jorgensen +451 - Quiet Silence
by Paul de Barros, The Seattle Times, February 2, 2003
This is not only one of the finest albums produced by Seattle's Origin Records, it's one of the most satisfying, well-made and seductive recordings currently in rotation in my house. The world-jazz mood is dark and earthy, like flamenco and electric Miles � with minor keys, throbbing bass lines and unusual meters.
Marc Seales' Fender Rhodes provides a slinky, silken cushion. Saxophonists Mark Taylor (alto) and Rob Davis (tenor) take the lead... read more
Doug Lofstrom - Concertino: The Music Of Doug Lofstrom
by Robert Iannapollo, Cadence
Doug Lofstrom is a composer who is currently teaching at Columbia College Chicago. While the two main compositions on Concertino - Concertino For Oboe And Orchestra and Concertino for Harp And Orchestra, both 2011 - are both in the classical vein, it?s the third piece on the disc, ?The Plumed Serpent? (1982), that would most likely interest Cadence readers. In the early 80s Lofstrom was an active jazz bassist in Chigcao and he was in a trio... read more
Joe Locke - Subtle Disguise
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
Have we been dealing with two different Joe Lockes for all these years? To some, the vibraphonist presents as a technically adept and intellectually curious seeker, constantly pushing through to new levels of possibility and commitment with his music. But for others, Locke is a conduit to understanding the human condition. This is a dichotomy that obviously speaks to vantage points and perspectives, with neither understanding ringing false. And... read more
Kiki Valera - Vivencias en Clave Cubana
by Paul Rauch, Earshot Jazz
The legacy of Cuban cuatro master Kiki Valera began with one of the most influential bands in the history of Son Cubano—La Familia Valera Miranda. The current Seattle resident has released an album of twelve original compositions on the highly regarded Origin Records label.
Valera's innovative approach to improvisation is well within the Son tradition, the music and dance of the eastern hill country of Cuba. There is however, a freedom and... read more
Bobby Broom - The Way I Play: Live In Chicago
by Owen Cordle, JazzTimes, July / August 2008
If you want a jazz definition of "stretching out," listen to this live album, in which we find Bobby Broom's long-time trio elongating and compressing familiar melodies and the beat in exploratory fashion. Without trying to pin jazz down, it's tempting to say this is the way jazz should be, at least in terms of inventiveness. The music and the modus operandi are fascinating.
The album originated when one of Broom's former students presented... read more
Chad McCullough & Bram Weijters - Abstract Quantities
by Tom Greenland, New York Jazz Record
Antwerp-based pianist Bram Weijters and Chicagoan trumpeter Chad McCullough co-lead Abstract Quantities, with bassist Piet Verbist (another Antverpian) and Seattle drummer John Bishop, a quartet that has developed close musical and personal chemistry over its five-year history. The leaders share compositional chores, penning compelling themes like "Little Song (for Mirthe)" and the carnivalesque "Acceptance or Denial", but the strength of the... read more
Matt Jorgensen +451 - Hope
by LYNN DARROCH, The Oregonian
This is not just another collection of intelligent contemporary jazz originals by a group of talented Pacific Northwest artists. It is one of more than 80 CDs produced by Origin Records, the prolific Seattle jazz label, publisher and presenting organization, and it is distinguished by the qualities that many of the label's products display: great writing, a fresh sound and excellent musicianship.
It's also by Origin Records co-owner Matt... read more
Dan Cray - Meridies
by Joe Ross, Blogcritics.org
The eight tracks on pianist Dan Cray?s Meridies project each run from five to seven minutes long, and that simple fact is the first indication that the full quartet (which includes tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger, drummer Mark Ferber, and bassist Clark Sommers) doesn?t believe in rushing things. Everyone gets a chance to shine in the arrangements which are very tight, yet humble and unassuming.
A moderately tempo-ed arrangement of Charles... read more
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