Browse some recent Origin 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
Roxy Coss - Restless Idealism
by Josef Woodard, Downbeat
On her second album - following long on the heels of her 2010 self-released debut, Roxy Coss comes across as a fairly full-formed talent. As a player, on tenor and soprano saxophones, she possesses a poise and maturity beyond her years. She's also a composer of diverse instincts and a strong bandleader (with impressive bandmates in tow, including trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, nimble guitarist Alex Wintz and versatile pianist Chris Pattishall, with... read more
Bobby Broom - Bobby Broom Plays for Monk
by Doug Collette, StateOfMindMusic.com
Sonny Rollins and Bobby Broom are long standing collaborators having worked together in the great saxophonist's band going on thirty years now. The guitarist has nurtured an increasingly fruitful solo career for himself? the latest product of which is squarely in the great jazz tradition of "Newk" himself? whose initial offering in a series of concert releases bodes well for the archive project.
The increasingly esteemed Broom does as much for... read more
Paul Marinaro - Mood Ellington
by Tim Larsen, Jazz Views (UK)
Mood Ellington is one of the year's best jazz vocal albums — impeccably arranged, deeply felt, and sung with a baritone that knows these songs inside out.
Paul Marinaro approached Mood Ellington with a smart concept: take 25 Ellington and Strayhorn tunes and group them by feel — love songs, darker ballads, and the more grounded, grown-up material — then bring in 13 arrangers to give each tune its own color. The result... read more
Hal Galper - E Pluribus Unum - Live in Seattle
by Ken Dryden, New York City Jazz Record
Hal Galper has long been a part of the jazz scene, having recorded extensively as a leader over the past four decades and appearing on sessions by Sam Rivers, Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Lee Konitz and Chet Baker, among others. Galper began with classical piano studies at an early age, spent time at Berklee and absorbed much from several Boston-based artists before leaving for New York City. Galper began leading his own groups in the ?70s.... read more
speak - Speak
by Matthew Miller, New York Jazz Record
For all of his sonic manipulations, kinetic energy and creative focus, trumpeter Cuong Vu never strays far from a strong melody. It is a unifying element in a professional career that has spanned nearly 20 years with his own idiosyncratic groups and associations with artists like Pat Metheny, David Bowie and Laurie Anderson, among many others. On two new releases, Leaps of Faith and Speak, Vu is joined by a coterie of like-minded musicians who... read more
Rich Thompson - Generations
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Scene
This is actually a standard piano trio with dummer Thompson in a leadership role. Of the nine tunes included, seven are original compositions by trio members. A few comments on the two standards might be in order. ?I Hear a Rhapsody? is explored from every angle by pianist Chris Ziemba. He finally states the melody line the ?last time around,? making this an intensely creative and rewarding version of the classic tune. The other familiar melody... read more
Brent Jensen - More Sounds of a Dry Martini
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
So it only took the sax man 20 years to do a follow up to his tribute to Paul Desmond. You want him to repeat himself too much or something? A delightfully classic after hours set of another heaping helping of Brubeck standards with the Desmond touch, this sitting down/thinking man's jazz outing hits all the right notes and then some. Because all the songs are familiar, it plays like comfort food from the right bistro. A swinging, tasty... read more
Looking for a specific review?
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Search Reviews:
Recently Added Reviews:
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect