Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Last Word Quintet - Falling to Earth
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
A Chicago quartet, plus Marc Kelly Smith's voice, Last Word Quintet pen stories of urban life here, where 12 lively tracks unfold with nods to beat poetry.
The lively spirit of "Iron Tango" starts the listen with Smith's raw spoken word alongside Sarah Allen's well timed drums and Doug Lofstrom's playful bass, and "Children Of Paradise" follows with a hint of rasp, as Bob Long's warm keys guide the soulful brass.
In the middle, the... read more
Margo Rey - The Roots of Rey | Despacito Margo
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Giving chestnuts a Latin tinge, this jazz vocalist with a serious art bent knows how to make it work better than it should. No stranger to the top of the charts, she blends her skills in a most tantalizing way. Fun stuff jazz vocal fans looking for something new and different are sure to... read more
David Friesen & Bob Ravenscroft - Passage
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Bassist David Friesen delivers concise duets with grand pianist Bob Ravenscroft for twenty five intuitive originals. Ravenscroft does some George Winston impressionism on "Perseverance" and Bill Evans romance on "Obedience" while for the most part you hear things like doors creaking open on "Temptation/Overcoming" and bass pickings and strings plucking on "Yielding" or "Family". Was that a saw I heard on "Resolution" or was it Tibetan... read more
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hometown, by Jared Hall, and it's quite good. Opening with title track, Hometown, Jared Hall on trumpet and Troy Roberts on tenor sax create the melody, joined by Ben Markley on piano, Michael Glynn on bass and Kyle Swan on drums. Hall takes the first opportunity to explore and creates solid, intuitive melodic statements, punctuated by Markley. Roberts' solo is much more sensual and... read more
Yoshiyuki Yamanaka - Great Time
by Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
Tenor sax player Yoshiyuki Yamanaka was leaving nothing to chance for his first album for Origin. He brought three of the top rhythm players extant into the studio, the inestimable jazz artists Junior Mance, Ben Riley, and Earl May. As much as the fine playing by the tenor sax man, these three contribute to the musical achievements attained on this CD. Over his career, Yamanaka has sampled the styles of the great tenors, including John Coltrane,... read more
Kelly Brand Nextet - The Door
by Charles Vecoli, Jazzreview
The Door is the latest effort from pianist, composer Kelly Brand and her Nextet. Once you put this disc on, you won't want to take it off. This is a disc that is full of listening pleasure. The composition is excellent, the arrangements are thick with melody and tempo, and the execution is superb. The listener is engaged from the first note until the sound of the creaking door at the end of the disc. The Door is a testament to Brand's talent for... read more
Benjamin Boone - The Poets Are Gathering
by Paul Rauch, All About Jazz
4 1/2 STARS Saxophonist Benjamin Boone continues his ambitious foray into jazz and poetry, this time recruiting an impressive cadre of poets for his aptly entitled release, The Poets are Gathering (Origin, 2020). The union of poetry and jazz has never been so powerfly presented, reflecting the past year of the worldwide Black Lives Matter movement, the universal role of the poet, and the power of art and voice to raise awareness and... read more
Chad McCullough - Dark Wood, Dark Water
by Kurt Zemaitaitis, International Trumpet Guild, January 2011
Dark Wood, Dark Water is the first release for Seattle-based trumpet/composer Chad McCulough. The liner notes contain brief descriptionsw of all the compositions, seven of which are penned by McCullough. His sound is sweet and mellow, and he performs his flowing improvisations in a neat linear fashion making his more complex ideas sound easy and simple. Most of the selections for this talented sextet have a laid-back feel that has touches... read more
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