Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Michael Dease - MSU Jazz Trombones: Spartan Strong
by J.D. Considine, DownBeat Magazine (Hot Box)
Somewhere in the jazzosphere there may be those who, upon hearing Michael Dease play baritone sax on recent albums, thought, "Gosh, I wish there were more trombone." If so, this is the album for you. Spartan Strong, which showcases the young talent in his Michigan State University Jazz Trombone program, features 22 — count 'em, 22 — trombonists across its 14 tracks. Think of it as a big band after the leader fired all the trumpet and... read more
Richard Sussman - Continuum
by Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition
Richard Sussman is not a well-known jazz musician, but perhaps that is because he has issued only three albums as a leader since his 1978 debut, Free Fall. The others include his 2010 release, Live at Sweet Rhythm, and this year's Continuum. Sussman may not be a household name, but he has had important roles in the jazz community as a composer (he won the ASCAP Jazz Commission for Established Composer in 2008), arranger... read more
Various Artists - The Cool Season: An Origin Records Holiday Collection, Vol. 2
by Andrea Canter, www.jazzpolice.com
One of the most prolific indie labels of recent years, Origin Records has helped raise awareness of the considerable jazz talents in the Northwest. The basis of their success is readily apparent on this collection of holiday standards and original compositions from a quartet of Seattle-area jazzers lead by rising trumpet star Thomas Marriott. Winner of the 1999 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition, Marriott joined the Maynard... read more
Lower Monumental - Mayday Session
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
Two-thirds of the group formerly known as Flatland return for a new debut with this one, a recording of a live improv session on one of Seattle's better avant-garde radio stations. The music is relatively similar to that of Flatland, with the notable removal of a bass and addition of a sax, courtesy of Saul Cline, a session player occasionally with Matt Jorgensen + 451. The atmosphere is particularly spacey here, but generally aims for the... 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
Michael Waldrop Big Band - Time Within Itself
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
Percussionist Michael Waldrop plays both drums and mallet instruments (vibes and marimba). He has a PhD and currently is a professor of percussion at Eastern Washington University, where he teaches both jazz and classical courses.
He also directs a big band, and this is that ensemble's inaugural album.
Once upon a time - back in unenlightened times - drummers often were looked down upon. (Question: "How big is your band?" Answer: "Sixteen... read more
Bill Anschell - Improbable Solutions
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
4-STARS Most fans of Seattle-based pianist Bill Anschell will not see this one coming. His comfort zone on his own recordings has been as a mainstream acoustic jazz artist, on albums like Shifting Standards (2018), a piano trio affair, Rumbler (2017) and Figments (2011), a solo piano outing. All of these were released on Origin Records.
Anschell, who formerly worked as vocalist Nnenna Freelon's musical director, crafts his recordings... read more
Greta Matassa | Clipper Anderson - And to All a Good Night
by Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
To ears accustomed to hearing the same holiday songs again and again, Matassa's and Anderson's repertoire is fresh. The composer and lyricist credits include familiar names?Johnny Mandel, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, Victor Young, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini and Irving Berlin. But the Mandel-Bergman "A Christmas Love Song," Bacharach's and Hal David's "Christmas Day" or Bill Mays' and Mark Murphy's "November in the Snow" have not been played ad... read more
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