Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
John Bishop - Antwerp
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
4 1/2 STARS - BEST ALBUMS OF 2023 Drummer John Bishop, the guy who runs Seattle's Origin Records, does not often put out records under his own name. There was Nothing If Not Something (Origin Records) in 2005, review here, and then nothing until the disc at hand, 2023's Antwerp. Not that Bishop has avoided the recording studio. He is, as a sideman, in fact quite prolific, sitting in on Hal Galper's string of... read more
Hal Galper - Live at the Berlin Philharmonic, 1977
by Mateusz Krępski, Multikulti Project (Poland)
5-STARS We are on November 4, 1977, the building of the Berlin Philharmonic, which hosted the most important German jazz festival - Berliner Jazztage.
There are six long tracks on two discs, the shortest of which is 9:31, the longest 24:36. With one exception ("I'll Never Stop Loving You"), they're all by the leader. On stage, the quintet of the American pianist Hal Galpera, well-known in Germany (he has performed many times in... read more
Storms/Nocturnes - VIA
by John Kelman, All About Jazz.com
Virtuosity can, when it's the raison d'�tre, be an impediment; when it's a foundation, in service of the music, it can be liberating. Storms/Nocturnes was initially the brainchild of Tim Garland but, after first convening as a subset of the sextet on the closing track to the British saxophonist/composer's Made By Walking (Stretch, 2000), ultimately evolved into a more egalitarian working trio. Both Storms/Nocturnes (Sirocco, 2001) and... read more
Greta Matassa - Favorites From A Long Walk
by George Fendel, Jazz Scene
If you missed the recent Vocal Madness gig at the Benson Hotel, here is your chance to get acquainted with Greta Matassa, a Seattle-based singer who wowed the crowd on that occasion. She gets to the heart of a song, expressing the lyric with great feeling, but never indulging in show-biz shtick. For this album, Metassa chooses 13 tunes, most of which, while familiar, are welcome, lesser known gems. Her pianist, Darin Clendenin, is especially... read more
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Convergency
by Lance Liddle, BeBop Spoken Here
One of the best big band albums I've heard in many a long day's listening. Convergency gives me the same kick that I got from when I first heard the big bands of Boyd Raeburn, Stan Kenton, Dizzy, Woody, Gil, Thad and Mel and yes, even the great Ms Schneider. Slonaker is up there with them.
The big band era as it once was may be gone inasmuch as large ensembles no longer criss-cross America playing one-nighters, riding in band buses that... read more
Anthony Branker & Ascent - Blessings
by Ron Bierman, JazzReview.com
The musicians who have the greatest-longer term impact are the ones who have something new to say. But they are also usually harder to appreciate at first, because they're playing something we're not used to hearing. And so it will be for many who audition the compositions of Anthony Branker performed by Ascent, a jazz collective established to play his music.
The songs and arrangements not so much. They struck me as overly simple vehicles... read more
Scenes - ...But Not Heard
by Martin Z. Kasdan Jr., Louisville Music News
Guitarist John Stowell, whose collaboration with Dave Liebman, Blue Rose, was reviewed here in December, has long worked collectively with bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop (part of Hal Galper's trio, reviewed here last month) under the name Scenes. Guest saxophonist and flutist Hans Teuber adds an extra dimension to this new album, with both his playing and compositions (he wrote or co-wrote four of the seven songs here). Stowell is... read more
Les DeMerle - The Jazz Spirit of Christmas
by Carol Swanson, christmasreview.com
So solid, so sweet! The Jazz Spirit of Christmas is classic jazz, through and through! This generous album (well over an hour of music!) will satisfy your every jazz need this holiday season.
The dynamic Les DeMerle (drums, vocals) is the moving force behind this project; his wife Bonnie Eisele (vocals, percussion) has been his sizzlin' musical partner for 17 years. The other three ensemble members are Ken Poplowski (tenor sax & clarinet),... read more
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