Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Rodney Whitaker - Common Ground: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Dave Rogers, WTJU
"Internationally renowned bassist and Mack Avenue recording artist, Rodney Whitaker, currently holds the titles of Professor of Jazz Bass and Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University where he has built one of the leading jazz degree programs and performing faculty in the United States of America." (http://rodneywhitaker.com/biography/) He was also the bassist in Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for seven... read more
Clipper Anderson - The Road Home
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
In the case of Seattle bassist Anderson, the "road home" is the ever changing scenery between Seattle and his boyhood home of Polson, Montana, population 4,500. Anderson pays tribute to that exquisite part of the country by performing a variety of original music and a few selections from other sources. His trio includes former Portland pianist Darin Clendenin, a buoyant and highenergy player of great skill, and his versatile long time drummer,... read more
Michael Dease - Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill
by George Kanzler, The New York City Jazz Record
Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill is the seventh album to be released featuring the music of 78-year-old Michigan composer Gregg Hill, and it's Michael Dease's second Hill project. "Something I really dig about Gregg's writing is that his melodies are direct," says Dease in the liner notes, "they're unpretentious to me and they balance lyricism with a mathematical sense of logic. That's where you get these cellular bits that repeat, that... read more
Dan McCarthy - City Abstract
by Robert Silverstein, Roots Music Report
5-STARS No sooner had Dan McCarthy released his early 2019 release Epoch, then he returned again in late 2019 with a follow up album on Origin called City Abstract. Where Epoch, recorded in NYC, was kind of a star studded affair, complete with appearances of guitarist Ben Monder and bass legend Steve Swallow, the May 2019 recording of City Abstract finds Dan back in his home turf of Toronto Canada recording with his own band. Backing... read more
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs
"Blessed & Bewitched" is the new album by Vienna vocalist, Maja Jaku that reflects a very personal journey that began as a child, growing up immersed in the sounds of her father's jazz trumpet. Later, she pursued her love of music through studies with mentors at the Graz Conservatory. Her mentors were familiar iconic names like Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan, Andy Bey and Jay Clayton.
The vocalist opens with an original by her drummer and... read more
Marc Bernstein & Good People - Hymn For Life
by Dave Sumner, emusic Review
Bernstein is intoxicatingly lyrical on woodwinds, and that he often switches between the sweet disposition of soprano sax and the soulful irreverence of bass clarinet often within the span of an album just makes the synthesis of sounds even more delectable. On this current release, he adds Jacob Anderkov on piano, Jonas Westergaard on bass, Rakalam Bob Moses on drums, and the vocals of Sinne Eeg. Beautiful moody music that crackles with life.... read more
Jim Gailloreto Jazz String Quintet - The Pythiad
by Editor, Chicago Jazz Magazine
Saxophonist and composer Jim Gailloreto is known for his inventive genre fusions. The nine-piece suite The Pythiad is no exception. Inspired by lesser-known heroes of Greek mythology, it features vocalist Cheryl Wilson's charismatic singing and Coleman Gailloreto's intriguing poetry. The lyrics are a mix of couplets and free verse, and are a superb match for the sparse and haunting music.
For instance, the tense and angular "Deucalion and... read more
John Bishop with Jeff Johnson, Rick Mandyck, John Stowell - Scenes
by Joseph Blake, JazzSteps, December 2001
Guitarist John Stowell's liner notes to this recently released CD makes Scenes sound almost serendipitous. He writes that "I suggested that we make a little music and turn on the tapes if we liked the chemistry...We did a couple of gigs in Seattle and went into the studio for a couple of sessions."
Stowell and drummer John Bishop produced the two sessions recorded at Seattle's Ironwood Studios.
They showcase the quartet's very democratic... read more
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