Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Intrada
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A throwback to the glory days of arrangers, Slonaker is a cat working in the shadows of Hollywood composing and arranging for loads of shows and movies that you wouldn't know he had a hand in unless you hang around for the credits, in small type. A dynamic set with a big band populated by the crime of contemporary jazz, this is one of those sets that looks forward while looking back. He reveres the past enough that he won't make you forget... read more
Alon Farber Hagiga - Dreams I Dream
by Kira Grunenberg, DownBeat
It's not all that unusual to sustain a jazz group for 20 or more years; longevity and legacy are practically hallmarks of the genre's history. Still, that doesn't mean it's easy to do. However, bandleader and Hagiga founding member Alon Farber has remained up to the challenge, and with Dreams I Dream, the composer and saxophonist has put together a record worthy of celebration, the Hebrew meaning behind his ensemble's name.
The dream-based... read more
Laurie Antonioli - Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light
by Fred Bouchard, Downbeat
4-STARS - Among the steady trickle of quality Joni Mitchell tributes - Rachel Z., Ian Shaw, Tierney Sutton, Herbie Hancock - Antonioli ranks high, with thoughtful, close-to-the-bone, folk-rocky interpretations in an even-tempered, clear-minded talk-it-through delivery, sometimes in Mitchell-like head-tones, often coiling the melody down that dark staircase. An in-balance quintet, charted clearly by pianist Matt Clark, casts chiaroscuro... read more
Alison Ruble - This Is A Bird
by Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes, Jan/Feb 09
Alison Rble's gemlike voice recalls the crystalline beauty and purity of the young Joni Mitchell. Befitting such a jewel, the settings are equally fine. Guitarist John McLean has fashioned 11 thoughtful arrangements, hitting each tune's core with the skill and precision of an expert marksmen. If only the same could be said of Ruble.
Traversing a wide-ranging playlist that extends from Cole Porter ("So In Love") to James Taylor ("Something in... read more
Various Artists - Winter: An Origin Records Holiday Collection
by Carol Swanson, christmasreview.com
Winter is a solid jazz compilation by Origin Records, a label created in 1997 by Seattle drummer John Bishop. The label's focus is primarily on significant Northwest artists, and this CD is a perfect example of the burgeoning jazz community abounding in the Seattle area. Joining Bishop on this instrumental CD are Hans Teuber (saxophones, piano), Dave Peterson (guitar, piano), and Jeff Johnson (bass).
Slip this CD into the audio system, and... read more
Hal Galper & the Youngbloods - Live at the Cota Jazz Festival
by Hobart Taylor, KUCI, Irvine, CA
Pianist Galper is an educator and mentor. Previously with Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderly, Sam Rivers,(1960's) and Phil Woods (1980's) he has been fronting trios and writing scholarly articles since the 90's while teaching at University. On this release he has found gifted young performers and improvisers in drummer, David Frazier, bassist Dean Torrey, and the uninhibited Nathan Bellott on alto sax. In fact the sax drum duets that occasionally... read more
Corey Christiansen - Dusk
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
The guitar man takes a steep left turn here as he wraps up his jazzy Americana trilogy with original tunes that seem to take smooth/summer jazz into some dark corners where there's a jazzy impression of southern gothic lurking around the next turn. There's a solid little history of modern jazz here lurking in the twists and turns that gives it the extra special sauce that really brings it together. Sharp, original work that grabs the... read more
Emi Meyer - Monochrome
by Bobby Reed, Downbeat
With her U.S. debut, Monochrome, singer-songwriter Emi Meyer has crafted a gem that will greatly expand her international fan base. Born in Kyoto to a Japanese mother and an American father, the Tokyo-based Meyer has released several albums in Japan, and her music has appeared on the soundtrack to Japanese director Nobuhiro Doi's film Flying Colors and in the States on the TV shows Awkward and Younger. Though Meyer has often sung... read more
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