Some of the most exciting music of the year has emerged from Seattle, where Saigon-born trumpeter Cuong Vu (Pat Metheny) teaches at the University of Washington; and on Speak, the faculty advisor sat in on this recording with some of his talented students on an album of their original compositions. Citing varied influences from Ligeti to Toto, Speak combines the energy of progressive rock and polyrhymic jazz. Straggering toward you like that... read more
When people listen to records, they think they are hearing just that - a documentation of an actual performance. But this has not really been the case with most popular music since the 1960s. With the advent of multi-track tape and certainly now with digital file-based recording, editing and mixing, musicians are generally recorded one at a time in isolation, building up instruments and vocals like layers of sounds to be edited, mixed and... read more
Perhaps least known among contemporary jazz's great voice-piano duos, with 25 years of shared history, Laurie Antonioli and Richie Beirach are also masters of delayed gratification. The Duo Sessions, their first album as coleaders, was recorded in 1992 but not released until 13 years later. This overdue reunion was recorded in Beirach's adopted hometown of Leipzig a decade ago, completed in California in 2012, and at last released in... read more
Blessed & Bewitched is Maja Jaku's most personal and ambitious project, recorded at Bunker Studio, NYC. This all-original album fearlessly explores jazz emotional and spiritual depths raw, transcendent, and poetic. Leading a powerhouse ensemble featuring Johnathan Blake, Adrian Varady, Michael Rodriguez, Alan Bartus and Dezron Douglas, Maja brings her vision vividly to life. The album is a bold statement of authenticity, vulnerability, and... read more
The trio of this recording have played together in the studios and stages of Belgium, France, and Russia for 13 years! They have attended many jazz conferences in Europe and have shared musical knowledge and experiences creating very tight bonds among them. The leader of the trio is John Bishop who in addition to being an outstanding drummer, is the proprietor of the award-winning Seattle-based Origin Records and its subsidiary, OA2 Records.... read more
Recorded live at the Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle, E Pluribus Unum is a true triumph of piano trio jazz. Backed by veteran bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop, pianist Galper displays an incredible array of jaw-dropping keyboard skills as the trio performs four original compositions and three interesting covers. A stunning version of Irving Berlin's "How Deep is the Ocean" immediately catches attention with Galper's... read more
How do you make this trio better? Add Jerry Bergonzi and record them live and in the moment. You think it's going to be sitting down jazz but once the percolator starts perking, you just can't turn it off. A tease and a surprise, this is jazz that engages you and keeps you on board to hear what's coming next. Pros that deliver the goods, this is the hot stuff you are seeking that doesn't play fair and doesn't play by the... read more
4-STARS Trumpeter, composer and bandleader David Weiss delivers the fourth album from his exquisite sextet entitled Auteur, a French term originally used to define film directors as the "author' of the film and in musical respects here, to mean the director or "scene setters" of the music. A master of the bebop sound Weiss, as stated in the excellent liner notes from author Aidan Levy, "is dedicated to the proposition that there are... read more
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect