Origin Records Reviews

David Friesen - A Light Shining Through
by Chris Lunn, Ancient Victorys

Recorded in 2021 in Kyiv Ukraine with the Kyiv Mozart String Quartet and later adding in some percussion and saxophone brings Friesen's work to yet another level. This is personal for him. Ukraine is his mother's ancestral home, and Friesen made many trips there before the pandemic then the war made returning impossible. Some of those past trips included John Stowell, and both have toured extensively throughout Europe. Friesen heads back to... read more

Marc Seales - People & Places
by Rudolf Radnai, avxforum.hu (Budapest)

Born in 1954, Marc Seales retired this year as a professor of jazz studies at the University of Washington, but his musical career is certainly not over, as evidenced by his new album People & Places, on which he can be heard with saxophonist Ernie Watts. The quartet is completed by bassist Bruce Lett and drummer Moyes Lucas Jr. One of the highlights of the album is an energetic version of Wayne Shorter's 1977 Heavy Weather classic,... read more

Chad McCullough & Bram Weijters - Abstract Quantities
by Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther, JazzHalo (Belgium)

Rough translation from German - This new album is the latest of the Quartet, which was published by De Werf Records in Belgium and Origin Records in the U.S. Previously "Imaginary Sketches" (WERF 088) and "Urban Nightingale" (WERF 108) were published and highly praised by the trade press. The audience was very impressed by these recordings by the pianist Bram Weijters. Weijters also part of the ensemble of bassist Piet Verbist called... read more

Hood Smoke - Laid Up In Ordinary
by Tim Seisser, Bass Musician Magazine

Born in Milwaukee, Bryan started playing bass at the age of twelve. Now in his tenth year based in Chicago, Bryan can be heard playing everything from modern jazz to authentic Latin to funk-dripped soul. Bryan?s versatile bass skills and compositions have brought him national recognition and solidified his reputation as one of music?s brightest stars.

Tim: So tell the readers a bit about your background in music and how you came to play... read more

Bobby Selvaggio - Short Stories
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record

Here's a sax man making his label debut and he makes a point of bringing it throughout. While you might hear the echoes of your fave greats of the past pouring out of his powerful ax, there's no mistaking that Selvaggio has learned his lessons well and learned how to craft them into his own voice as well. Hard hitting, tasty stuff loaded with infectious grooves and moves throughout, this is a winner from top to bottom that leaves no dregs in... read more

Anthony Branker & Other Ways of Knowing - Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly

Composer and director Anthony Branker brings together his team to skillfully interpret and tell a story of culture, focusing on the African Diaspora on this album. The team of Steve Wilson/as-ss-fl, Pete McCann/g, Simona Premazzi/p, John Hebert/b, Rudy Royston/dr and Aimee Allen/voc are like musical paintbrushes for Branker's canvas, forming rich prismatic colors on the dark "When Past Is Prologue" with Premazzi, or hip hopping to Hebert's bass... read more

Karrin Allyson - A Kiss for Brazil
by Marc Myers, JazzWax

Karrin Allyson has been singing professionally since the late 1980s. She has recorded more than 15 albums and has been nominated for a Grammy five times. Her new album, A Kiss for Brazil, is a breezy swing through bossa nova and samba with a sterling group of musicians.

In addition to singing songs in English and Portuguese, Karrin plays piano along with Vitor Gonçalves, who also plays the Fender Rhodes electric piano and accordion, Harvie S... read more

Hal Galper Quartet featuring Jerry Bergonzi - Cubist
by Robert Rusch, Cadence

HAL GALPER quartet: CUBIST [Origin 82751] is a wonderful record. Made all the more wonderful by Jerry Bergonzi [ts], Jeff Johnson [b] and John Bishop [drm] on this recording of 10/14/16. The program consists of 8 tracks [69:09], a mix of Galper and Johnson originals plus a couple of standards. That these are actual tunes really is secondary to the recording because as soon as the head is dispensed with, the improvising takes over and one would... read more

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