Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Ziggurat Quartet - Calculated Gestures
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
The Ziggurat Quartet consists of saxophonist Eric Barber, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Doug Miller, and drummer Byron Vannoy, with all of the music consisting of challenging originals. Barber's robust tenor is featured in his tense "Sezimora." His "Oregonian Monkey Chant" may at first seem like a repetitious, slow-to-develop number, though a different perspective on its intricacies can be obtained by listening to it on headphones. Anschell's... read more
Nnenna Freelon - Beneath the Skin
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
More than just an extraordinary voice, Nnenna Freelon possesses above all a vision of her art, deconstructing the structures of songs to heighten their dramatic essence, as only the greatest artists can. A jazz album, certainly, but one that brushes against the blues and soul with expert wings, carrying emotions through each note with an instrumentation tailored to perfection, almost minimalist, revealing the delicate fragility of a true... read more
Eddie Allen and PUSH - The Rhythm
by Terrell K. Holmes, The New York City Jazz Record
Eddie Allen's top-flight band Push—Allen (trumpet), Jon Beshay (tenor), Misha Tsiganov (keyboards), Tyler Bullock II (piano), Kenny Davis (bass), EJ Strickland (drums) and guest Steve Turre (trombone)—really brings it on The Rhythm, an energetic album that displays the leader's formidable skills as producer, arranger and composer.
The Afro-Cuban inflected title track exemplifies how Allen adeptly manipulates rhythm, making it flexible in... read more
Corey Christiansen - Dusk
by John Gilbreath, Jazz at the Library (Anacortes)
Guitarist Corey Christiansen has an innate skill at bridging traditional Americana music with jazz. This wonderful recording is as much a showcase for his emotive and fluid band, as it is for Christiansen's prodigious chops and laser sharp focus. As a suite of original compositions, plus one traditional, "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby," Dusk is evocative of feelings, people, and places, both imagined and... read more
Dmitri Matheny - Cascadia
by Carol Banks Weber, Coggie Ink
Dmitri Matheny doesn't ask a lot of you, dear listener. The WA-based jazz flugelhornist and composer does all the work, behind the scenes and in front of the mic — on bandstands across America and in the studio — so you can focus solely on the music and musical stories, anecdotes, and tone poems that move him, from time-honored ballads and stellar soundtracks, to his personal obsession and personal best, jazz noir.
You should see his... read more
John Wojciechowski - Focus
by Charles L. Latimer, I Dig Jazz
The jazz saxophonist John Wojciechowski is a native of Mount Clemens, MI, and a graduate of Western Michigan University. His dad was a sheet metal worker who moonlighted as a jazz organist, and who made sure music was a big part of his son's existence. After college Wojciechowski played briefly in New York, returned to Michigan, and when the worked there slowed to a crawl around 2002, he moved to Chicago and became a valuable player and jazz... read more
Jared Sims - Against All Odds
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Any tenor saxophonist with the surname Sims is certain to draw the attention of a seasoned reviewer, if only out of curiosity. The first name in this instance is Jared, not Zoot (well, not John). As it turns out, Sims has an impressive resume as a performer, writer, educator and leader; Against All Odds is at least his tenth album as foreman of his own group. Jared Sims is a capable player who knows his way around a horn; what he lacks is his... read more
Jon Alberts / Jeff Johnson / Tad Britton - Apothecary
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
An Internet search for the Fu Kun Wu Lounge in Seattle, Washington's Ballard neighborhood, reveals one patron's assessment of it as "one of the best kept secrets of the Seattle Jazz Scene." Many of the city's dynamic Origin Records stars perform in the converted Chinese herbalist's shop; players like pianists Bill Anschell and Marc Seales, saxophonist Hans Teuber and bassist Jeff "Free" Johnson. So how the lounge remains a secret is a... read more
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