Origin Records Reviews

Anthony Branker & Ascent - Blessings
by John Barron, All About Jazz

Composer/arranger Anthony Branker and his ensemble Ascent follow up on the critically acclaimed release Spirit Songs (Sons of Sound, 2006) with Blessings, a spirited collection of progressive jazz. The music was composed during a residency Branker participated in at the Estonian Academy of Music where he represented the United States as a Fulbright Scholar. The recording features a first-rate cast of east coast heavy-hitters.

The disc's... read more

Trio East - Best Bets
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Trumpet, bass and drum trios are not all that common. The trumpeter must have strong endurance and enough imagination to keep the set interesting, even when the bassist and drummer are operating as equals. Recording as Trio East on Best Bets, Clay Jenkins shows that he is very much up to the role, coming up with consistently creative ideas without any hesitation. Bassist Jeff Campbell and drummer Rich Thompson are both very active (particularly... read more

Mimi Fox - This Bird Still Flies
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record

A solo guitar tour de force by one of the pre-eminent practitioners of our age, Fox gets back to her acoustic roots and takes you back to the 70s when solo guitar records like this that made your jaw drop came along a lot more frequently than once in a blue moon. A master class and great music all at once, this is a sterling example of why so many of us have guitars in the basement in their cases gathering dust. We can't give it up but we're too... read more

Meridian Odyssey - Second Wave
by Abe Beeson, KNKX, New Cool

If you've been following the Seattle jazz scene, no doubt you know a few of the musicians calling themselves Meridian Odyssey. They've played as sidemen with many of the city's top players and spent hours working together in each others' bands. Despite and because of the pandemic, the quintet of friends found room to collaborate in socially distanced Alaska, resulting in a great new album.

For Second Wave, Xavier Lecouturier, the band's... read more

Corey Christiansen - Lone Prairie
by Robert Ratajczak, LongPlay: RadioJAZZ - Poland

[translated from Polish] Lone Prairie is the fifth album by Corey Christiansen in recent years (third released by the American label Origin Records), successfully strengthening his position among the greatest jazz guitarists in the world. After a stunning debut in 2004 (The Awakening), an album he recorded with trio MB3 (Hits Jazz Vol.1), and two albums highly accepted in the United States: Roll With It and Outlaw... read more

Karrin Allyson - A Kiss for Brazil
by C. Michael Bailey, Wild Mercury Rhythm

In 2001, singer Karrin Allyson released a near-perfect jazz concept album in Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane (Concord Music Group). Well known for her fine song programming, Allyson released a string of recordings right after that: In Blue (Concord Music Group, 2003), Wild For You (Concord Music Group, 2004), and 'Round Midnight (Concord Music Group, 2011), among others.

The singer has always had a fondness for the music of Brazil,... read more

Upper Left Trio - Sell Your Soul Side
by Paul Abella, Chicago Jazz Magazine, March/April 2006

There seems to be a new brand of piano trios brewing in jazz today. Groups that are willing to ditch the common ideas of the piano-bass-drums trio format and come up with something completely their own. E.S.T., Katahdin's Edge and The Bad Plus have been doing things in this vein for years now. Through studio trickery, slick arrangements of pop tunes or just plain inventive songwriting, these groups have been forging ahead, crafting their own... read more

Florian Hoefner - Luminosity
by Mike Greenblatt, Classicalite Magazine

Luminosity is when acrylic colors retain their freshness. Luminosity by the Florian Hoefner Group on Origin Records does just that as well, for it is here that the German-born pianist Hoefner, on his third all-original quartet CD, puts the Masters Degree he earned at the Manhattan School of Music to good use.

Hoefner, 33, must be as intense as his music. He composed all eight tracks while in solitude on and off the beautiful beaches of St.... read more

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