Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Bad Luck - Four
by Paul Simpson, The Answer is in the Beat
Bad Luck are a Seattle-based duo consisting of drummer Christopher Icasiano and saxophonist Neil Welch, who also handles electronics. Together, they have an interstellar sort of chemistry comparable to Chicago Underground Duo, along with some of the prismatic firebreathing of Colin Stetson. This is easily much darker, stranger, heavier, and spacier than what you might normally expect from a release on Origin Records. The saxophones multiply,... read more
Grete Skarpeid - Beyond Other Stories
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Folksy-voiced Grete Skarpeid mixes originals, poetry and a standard together on this album that has her backed by Aruan Ortiz/p, Rob Waring/vib-perc, Cameron Brown/b and Gerald Cleaver/dr. Her delivery and style is reminiscent of 70s singers, as she gets elliptical like Joni Mitchell on "Like A Bird" and "Holding" while is ethereal like Judy Collins during "Singing Again" and the ethereal "Adam and Eve". Cleaver lays down a military beat to set... read more
Sarah Partridge - Bright Lights and Promises: Redefining Janis Ian
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
5-STARS How did nobody think to go here before? With a glut of fine Joni Mitchell tributes on the market and a couple of engrossing Laura Nyro nods out there, how is it that no creative spirits in the jazz or cabaret camps thought to make the full-on jump to Janis Ian before now? Hearing Sarah Partridge dig into Ian's body of work makes this concept seem like a no-brainer - an incredibly natural fit, in fact - but that may very well... read more
Cuong Vu - Leaps of Faith
by Phillip McNally, Cadence
Trumpeter Cuong Vu's 4-tet appears to be bottom-heavy too, what with two electric bassists. And Takeishi and Bergman are really playing electric too; not the kind of bass work that tries to sound wooden through the amp. But Leaps of Faith is not the funk affair that it might make it seem. there are lost of electronics used on this live recording, on all four instruments, and every bit of it is remarkably musical and tasteful. There is never... read more
New York Voices - Reminiscing in Tempo
by Editor, The Jazz Page
New York Voices prove why they have become a vocal jazz institution with Reminiscing in Tempo. The production is a wonderful, eclectic mix of songs by Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Ignacio Cervantes, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The harmonies of the group's Peter Eldridge, Lauren Kinhan, Darmon Meader and Kim Nazarian are soaring and on-point on every tune. The quality musical performances backing them are... read more
The Spin Quartet - In Circles
by Paul Abella, Chicago Jazz Magazine
There's not a lot to know about The Spin Quartet, or their album, In Circles. There's no liner notes, and to tell the truth, I don't know much about leader and trumpeter Chad McCullough. I know that Clark Sommers has appeared on a few of my favorite local discs from the last few years. I know that Kobie Watkins is a beast behind the drums, and everything I've ever heard from saxophonist Geof Bradfield has been excellent. So, we can be... read more
Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra - Groove Junkies
by Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
In the liner notes to Groove Junkies by Harry Schnipper of Blues Alley Jazz, the music of arranger-composer Ben Patterson is accurately described as "hard-driving, bone-chilling, electrified funk." While there is no shortage of contemporary funk recordings, 13-horn 17-piece ensembles that perform in this style are not exactly common.
The Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra, which is based in Washington DC, plays five originals by its leader and... read more
Naama Liany - Daydream
by Editor, Kultur Luxembourg
Liany's new album, Daydream, is a stunning example, bringing together works on the subject of dreams by Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Federico Mompou and Albena Petrovic. The album was developed with the support of the prestigious Philharmonie Luxembourg and recorded at their magnificent facilities with the help of an award from the country's Ministry of Culture. Dreaming is an apt subject for Liany, whose parents recall her waking up at the... read more
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