Origin Records Reviews

John La Barbera Big Band - Grooveyard
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect

The conductor and arranger John La Barbera steers this New York City Big Band into hard-swinging territory, where the 4 arranged tunes and 6 originals are fleshed out with plenty of brass, winds and a stunning rhythm section.

The title track opens the listen with plenty of energy from the bright brass, before calmer bouts of grooves and Brandon Coleman's precise drums that make an impression, and "My New Summer Samba" follows with a... read more

Karrin Allyson - A Kiss for Brazil
by Randy Morse, The Best of Brazil

A Kiss for Brazil is a magnificent album! I've eagerly anticipated its release, especially after you announced that my favorite Brazilian singer, Rosa Passos, would join you — my favorite American jazz singer — as a special guest. What could be better? On top of that, your backing musicians (V'tor Gonçalves, Yotam Silberstein, Harvie S, and Rafael Barata) are stellar. You've said that before you and Rosa met, you had been fans of each... read more

Jovino Santos Neto Quarteto - Mais Que Tudo: Live at Kerry Hall 1995
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly

Exciting Latin currents were stirred back in 1995 by pianist/composer Jovino Santos Neto and his team of Hans Teuber/fl-sax, Chuck Deardorf/b and Mark Ivester/dr captured live in concert at Seattle, Washington's Kerry Hall. Neto mixes and matches combos, going solo on a cozy "Happy Birthday Ariel!" and sizzling in trio format on "Hoping for the Day". Teuber's alto bounces and skips over the Latin-pulsed " Metamorph" and bops till he drops for... read more

Bobby Broom - Song And Dance
by George W. Harris, All About Jazz, L.A.

Known primarily as Sonny Rollins' sideman, guitarist Bobby Broom has put out a few discs on his own, and this latest one might be his best one yet. Spaciously accompanied by Dennis Carrol (bass) and Kobie Watkins (drums), Broom grooves through a set of cleverly selected tunes, and makes them swing and sway. Clever arrangements of The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" and "The Little Rascals Theme" make these pieces seem like logical jazz standards.... read more

Brittany Anjou - Enamigo Reciprokataj
by Debra Jan Bibel, Amazon

A Sophisticated Debut: New Terrority for Jazz Invention The title of this album, Enamigo Reciprokoataj, seems to be a gimisch of languages and in a way it is, being Esperanto. To my knowledge, it is second Esperanto-related musical recording; Lou Harrison's La Koro Sutro is the other. Brittany Anjou, pianist and trio leader, is the composer and arranger of the ten-track 58-minute instrumental debut. The title, roughly Reciprocal Love, is... read more

Richard Sussman - Continuum
by David Orthmann, All About Jazz

Unlike the performance of certain forms of popular music, in which musicians dutifully strive to reproduce perfect versions of tracks from a record, a jazz CD release party proceeds from entirely different expectations. Befitting the music's emphasis on improvisation and the element of surprise, a live set of previously recorded compositions serves as a jumping off point for differences born in the heat of the moment. On the first night of... read more

Jaiman Crunk - Encounters
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record

Reminiscent of the kind of grand sitting down jazz date you'd get when someone would write someone like Michel LeGrand or Michel Columbier a check big enough to realize a grand vision, this new kid on the block has everyone in jazz turn out to lend a hand. Maybe not everyone but if you look at the credit list, it does go on forever and it's all made up of pros from the different sub phyla of jazz---all coming together and making it work. A... read more

Chris Walden Big Band - Home Of My Heart
by Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz Scene

Chris Walden's big band uses some of the same Los Angeles-based players but his arrangements are generally more modern, even when the pieces are "Cherokee," "Stolen Moments" and "You Took Advantage Of Me." Walden is clearly quite familiar with post bop while also loving the big band tradition. His arrangements are full of subtle surprises and heated solos. The soloists, most of whom are just featured on one song apiece, are trumpeters Kye... 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.