Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
David Friesen & Bob Ravenscroft - Passage
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
After decades of recording in small ensemble formats, bassist David Friesen offered up Testimony (Origin Records) in 2020, an outing which found him backed by his quartet and the National Academic Symphonic Band of Ukraine on his best and most ambitious recording. He followed that up in 2021 by going back to the—for him— familiar territory of the art of the duo, enlisting pianist Bob Ravenscroft in the creation of Passages.
The... read more
Laurie Antonioli and Richie Beirach - Varuna
by Carol Banks Weber, AXS
Very rarely lately does the album artwork match the music waiting for the right listener to unlock a whirlwind of emotions. Here on Laurie Antonioli and Richie Beirach's vocal-piano duo album, they do as the pair invites listeners to sit in on their celestial conversation set to stun.
Bay Area jazz singer Laurie Antonioli is not a strong vocalist, but what she does with songs is carry them further than those with every octave on command or... read more
Scott Burns - Passages
by Alex Marianyi, All About Jazz
Chicago-based tenor saxophonist Scott Burns has said that he practices each exercise, pattern, or whatever else he may be working on until he gets it perfect. Five times in a row. The results of this type of practicing couldn't be any more obvious than on Passages, release by Origin in 2006. Through this rigorous study, Burns has sufficiently assimilated the sounds of the great tenor players that have come before him in order to produce his own... read more
Ray Vega & Thomas Marriott - East-West Trumpet Summit
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Working the two coasts of jazz theory together, but using the Northwest as representative of modern West Coast jazz rather than the L.A. area, trumpeters Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott combine their formidable powers for good in a massive set. The two trumpeters have played together over the years, and have become stalwarts of the local scenes in their respective cities (Marriott winning numerous awards and recording numerous exceptional albums... read more
Jordan VanHemert - Survival of the Fittest
by Editor, The Jazz Page
Jordan VanHemert's Survival of the Fittest is a compelling post-bop statement that channels personal adversity into musical resilience. Joined by an elite ensemble with Terell Stafford on trumpet, Michael Dease on trombone, Helen Sung on piano, Rodney Whitaker on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums, the production crafts a sonic narrative shaped by the lead's experiences as a Korean American artist navigating cultural and personal challenges.... read more
Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra - Refractions
by Ben Ohmart, Music Dish
My favorite jazz label is back with something you don't hear every day. The Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra goes much further than the average big band. In fact, this isn't a big band in the accepted sense. It's more akin to an orchestra doing movie music. When the opening track starts, you'll think you've wandered in to a mid-70s Airport film being scored for a main title. Well, maybe not quite that extreme, but there's something about the... read more
Dee Daniels - Intimate Conversations
by Katie Bull, New York Jazz Record
In live performance the radiant Dee Daniels swings, grooves and dips into gospel edges from a core of warmth. Daniels delivers songs with uniquely relaxed humor, enveloping each audience member in a powerful sonic embrace. Her new album, Intimate Conversations (Origin) is a series of tight duos executed with eight jazz veterans, three of whom - Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Martin Wind (bass) and Ted Brancato (piano) - will be appearing... read more
Roberta Brenza - It's My Turn to Color Now
by Derek Ansell, Jazz Views (UK)
Any jazz vocal album that features Sheila Jordan as a guest on two selections is worthy of close investigation and this one is no exception.
Not that the veteran jazz singer is the only attraction here as Ms Brenza gives a sterling performance throughout this programme.
The opening title song swings away merrily and it is in fact the singer's very first composition dating from 2014. Song For My Father is given a brisk vocal treatment with... read more
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