Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Dan McCarthy - Epoch
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Dan McCarthy leads a quartet with his vibes and compositions, bringing together a simpatico and sensitive band of Ben Monder/g, Mark Feldman/vi and Steve Swallow/b. The focus is on dreamy atmospheres, hovering on "A Dream, Awake" and floating with Big Sky spaces during "Fugitive Epoch." McCarthy's vibes have a gentle chime, sighing to Feldman's crying strings on the chamber mooded "Softly She Sings Her Song" and quietly bubbling on "Desert... read more
Michael Dease - City Life: Music of Gregg Hill
by David R. Adler, JazzTimes
The Year in Trios, 2025
This is the eminent trombonist's third effort devoted to the music of Michigan composer Gregg Hill (who coproduced the set). It's a double album but the first half fits our mandate, with just trombone, bass (Linda May Han Oh) and drums (Jeff "Tain" Watts). Virtuosity, blues feeling, swing rhythm sharpened to a dagger's edge — need I say more? Don't listen to me, listen to... read more
John Bishop - Antwerp
by Joe Ross, Roots Music Report
5-STARS John Bishop, Seattle-based drummer, educator and owner of the Origin record label, has over four decades of performance and recording experience with appearances on more than 100 albums. He was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2008. Antwerp is Bishop's first album under his own name in 15 years.
He first met pianist Bram Weijters and bassist Piet Verbist in Belgium about 2008. The three friends played Europe and... read more
Jovino Santos Neto Quarteto - Mais Que Tudo: Live at Kerry Hall 1995
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
5-STARS Jovino Santos Neto: A Brazilian Jazz Master's First Seattle Chapter.
Jovino Santos Neto stands as one of the most commanding figures in contemporary Brazilian jazz. Pianist, composer, arranger, and three-time Latin Grammy nominee, he is among the most significant Brazilian musicians of his generation. Now based in Seattle, Washington, his career has been profoundly shaped by his long-standing association with the legendary... read more
Anthony Branker & Imagine - What Place Can Be for Us?
by Ron Schepper, Textura
As the composer, arranger, and musical director for the ten-movement suite What Place Can Be for Us?, Anthony Branker is the visionary force behind the project and, as importantly, the one responsible with recruiting the top-tier musicians that perform it. The latest edition of his group Imagine draws on the considerable talents of tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, trumpeter Philip Dizack, alto saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf, guitarist Pete McCann,... read more
Rodney Whitaker - Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)
4-STARS The outstanding bassist Rodney Whitaker (*1968 in Detroit) presents "Mosaic," his fourth album, following "Common Ground" (2019), "Outrospection" (2021), and "Oasis" (2023), featuring compositions by Gregg Hill from Michigan. He performs with an illustrious quintet, as well as Rockelle Whitaker, the bassist's daughter, who contributes vocals to three tracks. Gregg Hill's compositions, all arranged by Rodney Whitaker, are... read more
Scott Reeves - Portraits and Places
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
Great jazz orchestras are harder to find these days than the proverbial hen's tooth. The general public no longer desires to hear the music that made the Big Band years so fantastic, and established talents such as Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Stan Kenton and so many others. Groups like those are no longer cost-effective to work or tour with. Thankfully, a market still exists for the smaller... read more
Eva Cortes - Crossing Borders
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A crowd funded Latin jazz vocalist funded by a crowd that knows their apples, if this feels like a Brazilian record that you just can't put your finger on, it's because she's from Honduras and the crew is playing with pan Caribbean chops. It might not be Brazilian, but it has all the sound and feel of the Brazilian jazz vocal set you've been jonesing for lately. Killer stuff throughout from an international star that really needs to plant a... read more
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