Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Diego Barber & Hugo Cipres - 411
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Here's one the moldy figs won't be able to handle. A jazzbo guitarist gets together with an electronic dj and rounds out his sound with some first call downtown cats. You call almost hear listeners kvetching the way they did when Eric Dolphy first started being out there. Not really jazz, not really King Crimson or Kraftwerk, it's a trip into the next wave that has to be taken on its own terms. Feeling closer to Bernie Krause without the... read more
Dana Hall - Into the Light
by -jh, Cincinatti Jazz Scene Examiner
After nearly 20-plus years playing as a sideman for musicians like Kenny Barron, Branford Marsalis, and many others, Dana Hall gets his just due with his debut CD, Into The Light, as a bandleader. Debut or not, Hall's professional and masterful approach to the music is without question, and clearly evident with his jaw-dropping, all-star lineup of Terell Stafford (Trumpet), Tim Warfield, Jr. (Saxes), Bruce Barth (Piano) and Rodney Whitaker... read more
Sarah Partridge - Bright Lights and Promises: Redefining Janis Ian
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
5-STARS How did nobody think to go here before? With a glut of fine Joni Mitchell tributes on the market and a couple of engrossing Laura Nyro nods out there, how is it that no creative spirits in the jazz or cabaret camps thought to make the full-on jump to Janis Ian before now? Hearing Sarah Partridge dig into Ian's body of work makes this concept seem like a no-brainer - an incredibly natural fit, in fact - but that may very well... read more
Amit Friedman - Sunrise
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
This seems to be shaping up as the year of the "Sunrise." Two outstanding sets by that name have been released in 2012: one by the Masabumi Kikuchi Trio on ECM Records, the other a self-produced gem by the Indo/American chamber ensemble, Karavika. Israeli saxophonist Amit Friedman makes it a triptych with his own Sunrise, on Seattle's Origin Records.
Friedman has a knack for memorable melodies enmeshed in sophisticated and lively... read more
Piet Verbist Zygomatik - Cattitude
by Gunther Ramysen, Demofarm
In ons land wordt aan jazz sowieso te weinig aandacht besteed, maar aan wie moeten we dan aandacht besteden is dan al snel de vraag. En dat is makkelijk te beantwoorden met de naam Piet Verbist. Piet Verbist is een contrabassist uit het Antwerpse die vooral bekend is geworden met zijn rol in het Jef Neve Trio en het label Contour dat hij oprichtte. Het was op dat label dat hij de eerste releases (Blue Saga en It's Gone) van het Jef Neve Trio... read more
John Moulder - The Eleventh Hour
by John Barron, The Jazz Word
Chicago guitarist John Moulder delivers an impressive live set with his quintet on The Eleventh Hour, recorded at the legendary Green Mill jazz club. Moulder's compositions tend to lean on modal frameworks with odd-metered grooves. His pieces have accessible qualities while presenting daunting musical challenges to the players involved. A thoughtful improviser who takes the time to tell a compelling story, Moulder is able to utilize a variety... read more
Paul Marinaro - Mood Ellington
by Lance Liddle, BeBop Spoken Here
A somewhat belated review, it was released in November but only reached my Victrola this month, otherwise it would have been highly placed in the 2025 Vocal Albums of the Year. Apologies to all concerned.
I reviewed one of Marinaro's previous albums - Not Quite Yet - back in 2022 and I was impressed. Mood Ellington is equally impressive maybe even more so because of the material, the arrangements and Marinaro himself.
Not every vocalist... read more
speak - Speak
by Jay Collins, Cadence
Too often, the Jazz press laments the lack of mentorship in Jazz, with too many musicians coming right out of the conservatory without continuing oversight from more seasoned musicians. While the youngish 40 year old Cuong Vu might seem an unlikely "Jazz Elder," various playing experiences with the likes of many cutting-edge New York City groups, as well as big names like Pat Metheny or Laurie Anderson, seem to have prepared him for this course.... read more
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