Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Florian Hoefner - Luminosity
by Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition
Musical storytelling which mixes compositional originality with instrumental brilliance. Stepping outside one's comfort zone is a time-honored tradition in jazz. Pianist Florian Hoefner - born and raised in Germany and who finished his jazz education in Manhattan - took that journey a bit further than most. In 2014, he relocated from NYC to the isolated city of St. John's in Canada's farthest easterly province, Newfoundland. Not a... read more
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra - Without a Trace
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Fresh big band charts and deliveries are produced by composer/conductor Scott Reeves as he leads a team that includes all stars Steve Wilson/ss-as-fl and Carolyn Leonhart/voc. The vocalist is featured on a lithe and brassy title track, as Wilson gives an aria alongside Jim Ridi's somber musings on "Incandescence." Reeves shows cleverness as he charts a Latinized "Speak Low" with bright section work and Wilson teaming with Chris Rogers/tp and... read more
Joachim Mencel - Brooklyn Eye
by Adam Baruch, Adam Baruch.com (Israel)
This is an album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Joachim Mencel, recorded in US with three American musicians: guitarist Steve Cardenas, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Rudy Royston. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Mencel. In addition to the piano, Mencel also plays the hurdy-gurdy, which is usually associated with Folk music in many European Cultures, and is very rarely used in Jazz, but not entirely unheard off.
On... read more
Geof Bradfield - melba!
by Hrayr Attarian, All About Jazz
Chicago based saxophonist Geof Bradfield's Melba! is a much needed tribute to the criminally underexposed trombonist and arranger Melba Liston. Liston debuted with trumpeter, bandleader Gerald Wilson, was one of the stars of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's bebop big band and devoted herself to arranging after she met pianist Randy Weston with whom she had a long and fruitful career.
Commissioned by Chamber Music America's 2011 New Jazz Works... read more
Rich Thompson - Generations
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
As this album?s title suggests, trios have been a mainstay in jazz for, well, generations. It?s a lot easier to gather simpatico musicians into a trio, than into a larger group. It?s an affordable combo; small clubs can?t foot the bill for larger groups. It also isn?t necessary to write the special arrangements required by bigger bands.
Rich Thompson?s trio is one of the newest.
Thompson?s career began in 1980, during the period when... read more
Dan McCarthy - City Abstract
by Colin Story, The Wholenote
Vibraphonist Dan McCarthy's newest album, City Abstract, heralds the Toronto native's return to his hometown, after 15 years living in New York and working with the likes of Steve Swallow, Ben Monder and George Garzone. City Abstract is a Canadian affair: recorded earlier this year at the Canterbury Music Company, it features the quartet of McCarthy, guitarist Ted Quinlan, bassist Pat Collins and drummer Ted Warren; of the nine tracks, six are... read more
Doug Beavers Orchestra - Jazz, Baby!
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
This project came about when arranger Doug Beavers Rovira was hired to write a series of big band charts of children's songs, recording performances that would be of interest to toddlers and kids. Matt Catingub and Linda Harmon take the enthusiastic vocals on the familiar tunes. The performances are concise (taking into account very short attention spans) and the big band is mostly used as a colorful foil with the vocals. One cannot imagine... read more
David Friesen and Glen Moore - Bactrian
by William Minor, Bill's Blog
Walt Whitman was not the first person to claim to contain multitudes. In Greek mythology, Deucalion and Pyrrha were instructed by Themis to replace the loss of mankind (after the end of an Iron Age flood) by casting stones of the earth (reinstating men and women) behind them. The couple claimed, "Nos duo turba sumus" ("We two form a multitude."). In our era, Larry Constantine, an American software engineer considered one of the pioneers of... read more
Looking for a specific review?
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.
Search Reviews:
Recently Added Reviews:
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