Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
George Colligan - The Endless Mysteries
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Pianist George Colligan has been quietly putting together an impressive catalogue of albums, and this one looks to be his best. It doesn?t hurt that he?s chosen Larry Grenadier/b and Jack DeJohnette/dr to be his stablemates, but the real impressive part here is that these 10 tunes were recorded with a minimum of rehearsal prep. The adroit interplay mixed with the celerity of technique is almost bewildering, and the fact that the music exudes... read more
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Intrada
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Dave Slonaker fronts a big band in which he does almost all of the composing, arranging and conducting. No small job when you consider the band has a reed section that includes Bob Sheppard and Brian Scanlon, a trumpet section with Wayne Bergeron, Clay Jenkins and Ron Stout, a trombone section with Bob McChesney and a rhythm team with Peter Erskine on drums. Material ranges from free and flowing pieces such as the loose "Timelessness" and... read more
Steve Million - Remembering The Way Home
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
After plenty of time spent in small-group formats (including the short-lived Monk's Dream trio with piano and organ together), Chicago pianist Steve Million took the opportunity to make his first solo piano recording. Interestingly, instead of his previous influences in Monk and others, Million makes use of a more recent foray into classical music as a seed for creation here. All the works are original compositions from Million (with the... read more
Michael Dease - MSU Jazz Trombones: Spartan Strong
by George Harris, Jazz Weekly
You've got to love the moxie of trombonist Michael Dease, who thinks he can take on with his trombone and rhythm teams of Xavier Davis & Ethan Frank on piano, Jared Beckstead-Craan & Reuben Stump on bass and drummers Keith Hall, Brian Allen & Randy Gelispie, the MSU Jazz Trombone team consisting of 17, count 'em, 17 trombones and six (!) bass trombones. What could go wrong?
NOTHING! This album is a total delight, with every potential... read more
John Bishop - Antwerp
by Arturo Gomez, KUVO (Denver)
The trio of this recording have played together in the studios and stages of Belgium, France, and Russia for 13 years! They have attended many jazz conferences in Europe and have shared musical knowledge and experiences creating very tight bonds among them. The leader of the trio is John Bishop who in addition to being an outstanding drummer, is the proprietor of the award-winning Seattle-based Origin Records and its subsidiary, OA2 Records.... read more
Geof Bradfield - African Flowers
by Brad Walseth, JazzChicago.net
Reed player Geof Bradfield's U.S. State Dept. sponsored trip across Africa in 2008 affected him greatly and resulted in his writing the music for his new album African Flowers based on his experiences. We covered his concert presenting this music at the Chicago Cultural Center last October (see our review and photos from that event here ) and were struck at the time at how the trip to the African continent had pushed Bradfield's writing... read more
Nanami Haruta - The Vibe
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)
5-STARS What a surprise is the debut album "The Vibe" by trombonist Nanami Haruta (*2001), which she recorded with her teacher, trombonist and baritone saxophonist Michael Dease (*1982), and a first-class rhythm section featuring Xavier Davis (p), Rodney Whitaker (db), and Ulysses Owens Jr. (dr), and which is reminiscent of the albums by the trombone duo J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding. The album's eleven tracks present Haruta and Dease in... read more
Peterson-Kohler Collective - Winter Colors
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
If the business of big business wasn't something that always gets in the way and grinds things down, this is probably what impressionistic, Windham Hill jazz would sound like today. Skillfully played by a bunch of cousins that used to do this all the time, it's deep yet easy going and always on the money and in the pocket. Much more than just pretty playing, this might well be the cure for what ails ya. Killer... read more
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