Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Chad McCullough & Bram Weijters - Imaginary Sketches
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
Seattle's Origin Records has become known as a label specializing in original music. Sometimes the concept falls flat, but frequently it works quite well. Almost all the tunes here are by members of the quartet. What it ultimately seems to come down to is that McCullough is a scintillating player and an authoritative presence on trumpet and flugelhorn. His colleagues - Bram Weijters, piano; Chuck Deardorf, bass; and John Bishop, drums - provide... read more
Joel Miller Sienna Dahlen - Dream Cassette
by Raul da Gama, JazzdaGama
The title of this recording is interesting in the whimsical images it conjures up, none more vivid than a journey back to musical traditions that are a molten mix of styles and cultures that can only come from a Canadian landscape. But more than anything else this is a product of the prodigiously talented musical polymath, Joel Miller. In each one of twelve originals Miller has tempered his arsenal of sophisticated compositional resources with... read more
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by Jeff Potter, Modern Drummer
Right out of the gate, this CD is poppin' on Kenny Dorham's "Lotus Blossom." Drummer Thompson's articulation is strikingly clean and precise. Even when he's stretching out on Ornette Coleman's "Invisible," his playing is a study in purposeful orchestration. But his pinpoint precision foremost serves a seamless, propulsive current; this band swings. Since 1996, the nimble, musical Thompson has served on the faculty of the Eastman School... read more
Karrin Allyson - A Kiss for Brazil
by Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz Scene
Karrin Allyson's annual visits to Catalina Bar & Grill are always well worth attending. While she recorded her debut album back in 1992, she is still very much in prime form 32 years later. At Catalina's she was joined by the very talented pianist Miro Sprague, bassist Karl McComas-Reichl, and drummer Dan Schnelle.
Since the singer's most recent album is A Kiss For Brazil, she included several Brazilian numbers that she sang in Portuguese and... read more
Florian Hoefner - Luminosity
by Ken Waxman, The Whole Note
Musically, Luminosity may be the most straight ahead of the sessions reviewed here, but it's also the one with the most varied cast. The program is eight compositions by German-born-and-raised pianist Florian Hoefner, who after a long period in New York, now teaches at Memorial University in St. John's. The quartet is completed by American bassist Sam Anning, Austrian drummer Peter Kronreif and Vancouver-raised, Manhattan-based tenor and soprano... read more
José Luiz Martins - Odyssey Mixtape
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
This Brazilian keyboardist immerses us in pure jazz fusion; a genre that demands caution, given that since the 1970s, we've encountered everything from the sublime to the forgettable. Yet here, we have a truly delightful album, one that revitalizes the style by infusing it with cultural depth. And should you have any doubts, a flute is there to remind you: this composer is unmistakably Brazilian, and we are all the richer for discovering his... read more
Bobby Broom - Song And Dance
by Edward Ford, Chicago Jazz Magazine
When listening to Bobby Broom's Trio perform on his new CD, Song and Dance, one is immediately struck by how much s-p-a-c-e there is. With lesser musicians that could be a problem, but Broom and stalwart Dennis Carroll on bass and relative newcomer Kobie Watkins on drums, do an excellent job of presenting the necessary notes, pauses and attacks to frame the music for the listener, a feat not to be taken lightly. The majority of the disc is... read more
Scenes - Variable Clouds: Live at the Earshot Jazz Festival
by Michael Rietmulder, Seattle Times
20 BEST SEATTLE ALBUMS OF 2022
14. Scenes, "Variable Clouds: Live at the Earshot Jazz Festival"
It's a welcome sign that live music has been "back" long enough for live albums to trickle in among the deluge of post-lockdown releases. Recorded last year at Town Hall during Seattle's preeminent jazz festival, this long-running quartet (featuring Origin Records co-leader John Bishop on drums) delivers a set of post-bop that could clear... read more
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