Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Wellstone Conspiracy - Motives
by John Barron, All About Jazz
The Wellstone Conspiracy is a collective venture for four of the more prolific jazz musicians residing in the Northwest region of the United States. The group consists of Idaho-based saxophonist Brent Jensen and from Seattle, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop. The quartet, previously heard together on Jensen's One More Mile (Origin, 2008), hits the mark with Motives, a disc full of stunning interplay and... read more
Clay Giberson - Minga Minga
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Improv solo piano recorded and written in honor of his newly born daughter, Gilberson stride that jazz/new age/contemporary instrumental line with great aplomb and shows that he can satisfy the ears quite by his lonesome. A sitting down date that requires your attention without demanding it, this is some pretty top shelf solo piano... read more
Dan McCarthy - City Abstract
by Ron Schepper, Textura
Even before listening to City Abstract, it's possible to form some idea of where Dan McCarthy's coming from: on the Canadian vibraphonist's second release for the Seattle-based Origin Records, two tunes are affectionate tributes to Carla Bley and Gary Burton, and covers of classic material by Bley, Keith Jarrett, and Pat Metheny also appear. If a bit of an ECM vibe informs the album, it's in part attributable to McCarthy's avowed love for the... read more
Bad Luck - Four
by Paul Simpson, The Answer is in the Beat
Bad Luck are a Seattle-based duo consisting of drummer Christopher Icasiano and saxophonist Neil Welch, who also handles electronics. Together, they have an interstellar sort of chemistry comparable to Chicago Underground Duo, along with some of the prismatic firebreathing of Colin Stetson. This is easily much darker, stranger, heavier, and spacier than what you might normally expect from a release on Origin Records. The saxophones multiply,... read more
Xose Miguélez - Contradictio
by Luca D'Alessandro, Jazz 'N' More (Switzerland)
Tenor saxophonist Xose Miguélez comes from Galicia in northern Spain and with his multinational quartet he presents the album "Contradictio". The ten tracks represent a sophisticated, contradictory journey between the classic jazz setting, the traditions of Spain and contemporary state of the art and offer space for discovery. The list includes original works by Miguélez and Jean-Michel Pilc ("Galicia") as well as standards by George Gershwin... read more
Richard Sussman - Live at Sweet Rhythm
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Pianist Richard Sussman led a quintet in the late 1970s and made one record (Free Fall) for Inner City, though after going to Europe for a time, he was unable to land another record deal as a leader. After years of working in a supporting role by touring with various pop and rock acts, along with the occasional jazz gig and teaching at the Manhattan School of Music, Sussman was able to reunite his quintet for some dates in 2003, when this CD was... read more
Anthony Branker - Beauty Within
by Richard B. Kamins, Step Tempest
I have been wanting to talk to composer and educator Anthony Branker since 2013 and the release of "Uppity", an album that addressed racism, religion, and hope. Credited to "Word Play" and released on the Origin label, the music included "Ballad for Trayvon Martin", "Dance Like No One is Watching", "Across the Divide", "Let's Conversate" and the title track. At the time, I was teaching a course that dealt with music as social... read more
Josh Nelson - The Sky Remains
by Lynn Rene Bayley, The Art Music Lounge
Pianist and composer Josh Nelson's new album, The Sky Remains, due for release September 15, is a mosaic of his impressions of his home town, Los Angeles. Live performances of the music from this album feature multimedia film footage to enhance the audience's experience.
More often than not, programmatic music designed to depict a specific location or event fall flat for those whose experience does not include those places or images. In... read more
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