Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Ben Thomas Tango Project - Eternal Aporia
by Jane Kozhevnikova, All About Jazz
For some people, tango means the dance with a stereotypical red rose between the teeth. For Ben Thomas, a percussionist and bandoneonist from Seattle, tango is much more than that: it has been an important part of his life for at least fifteen years before the 2022 release of Eternal Aporia. The album includes twelve of his original compositions mixing tango with jazz and classical chamber music.
Joining Thomas on the album are Eric Likkel... read more
Geoff Stradling - Les is Mo'
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
On his Origin Records debut, Los Angeles pianist Geoff Stradling makes short work of showing why he was picked by the label. While the focus of Origin is generally on Northwest artists, they have some fair leniency if the music is good, and will pick up exceptional players that might not have been heard before otherwise. In the case of Stradling, you've probably heard him at some point in the past with his performances built in everywhere from... read more
Hal Galper - Ivory Forest Redux
by Cedric Hendrix, CirdecSongs
A glorious re-issue from 1980, pianist Hal Galper reminds us why this release is worthy of hearing again and again. His guitarist is a young fellow named John Scofield, whose ability is well on its way to what would ultimately make him a jazz legend. Galper's piano runs are full of fire and fury, and he and Scofield are perfect musical foils for one another. Scofield has turned his guitar's "tone" knob back a bit, unselfishly leaving room on the... read more
Eric Jacobson - Heading Home
by Paul Abella, WDCB, Chicago
Trumpeter Eric Jacobson has a new album out, Heading Home, and I'm digging this one a whole lot. The Milwaukee native put together an outstanding band to play eight of his compositions on the disc, with the excellent pianist Bruce Barth, as well as familiar faces in saxophonist Geof Bradfield, bassist Dennis Carroll, and drummer George Fludas. Jacobson gets right down to business with the opening cut, "Survival" which burns pretty hot. Barth... read more
Doug Beavers Orchestra - Jazz, Baby!
by Stefan Sheppard, Zooglobble
All 10 songs here are traditional ("Twinkle Twinkle," "Shortnin' Bread," "Working' On the Railroad"), and the vocals take center stage. If there is any difference it's that the arrangements are stronger, with strong versions of "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" that take full-advantage of a 20+ member big band being two highlights. "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" is done in a fun cha-cha style. It's a polished recording, and while... read more
Pharez Whitted - For the People
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
Indianapolis-born trumpeter Pharez Whitted has kept a low profile in the new millennium. He's busied himself with teaching, attending to his duties as Director of Jazz Studies at Chicago State University, performing live and appearing as a sideman on a scant number of under-the-radar albums, but none of this has helped to boost his reputation beyond his Midwestern home base. His fourteen year silence between Mysterious Cargo (Motown, 1996) and... read more
Anthony Branker & Other Ways of Knowing - Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
5-STARS To write about Anthony Branker is to risk superlatives. And yet restraint feels almost dishonest. He stands, more than likely, among the most important and influential American composers working today, not simply because of the sophistication of his craft, but because of the intellectual and moral architecture that sustains it. Once again, Branker delivers a work that is forceful, searching, at moments even unsettled, a score... read more
Bobby Broom - Upper West Side Story
by Frank Alkyer, Downbeat
Guitarist Bobby Broom is one of Chicago?s true musical treasures. He?s lived in the Windy City since the early ?90s, and his influence is felt throughout the Chicago music community. Some may have caught him playing with Sonny Rollins over the years, which is a treat. But when he?s not on tour, Chicago?s the place to see him at one of his regular, not-to-be-missed weekly gigs?Tuesday nights at the Green Mill with the Deep Blue Organ Trio or on... read more
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