Origin Records Reviews

Trio East - Best Bets
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Trumpet, bass and drum trios are not all that common. The trumpeter must have strong endurance and enough imagination to keep the set interesting, even when the bassist and drummer are operating as equals. Recording as Trio East on Best Bets, Clay Jenkins shows that he is very much up to the role, coming up with consistently creative ideas without any hesitation. Bassist Jeff Campbell and drummer Rich Thompson are both very active (particularly... read more

Les DeMerle - Hittin' the Blue Notes, Volume 2
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

A lot of us jazz fans cut our listening teeth on Blue Note records by Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan and more. The Dynamic Les DeMerle Band's Hittin' the Blue Notes, Vol. 2 celebrates that classic sound with a set of swinging, hard-driving hard bop tunes.

Les DeMerle sat in the drummer's chair in the Harry James Orchestra for twelve years, and he brings to this project an exuberant and swinging propulsion, a crisp and brightly... read more

Mimi Fox - This Bird Still Flies
by Andrew Gilbert, Berkeleyside

When Mimi Fox talks about visiting Joe Pass, I picture the legendary guitarist sitting lotus position on top of a Himalayan peak, a cigar tucked firmly into the corner of his mouth as he utters cryptic jazz koans.

Gruff and avuncular, Pass wasn't really the guru type, but more than any other player of his era he mastered the lonely art of unaccompanied jazz guitar, recording a series of classic solo albums aptly titled Virtuoso. Some three... read more

Rich Thompson - Who Do You Have to Know?
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

4-STARS The title of drummer Rich Thompson's 2023 release is Who Do You Have To Know?. The answer to that: John Bishop and Matt Jorgensen, the team that runs the Origin and OA2 Records labels that boast prolific and consistently good outputs, featuring an array of well-known and a goodly number of not-so-well-known, but always interesting, often terrific, jazz artists. Thompson has released four albums of his own on Origin, including the... read more

Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Ken Micallef, JazzTimes

This spirited romp by top-tier jazz professionals through the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn is long overdue. Though many pay lip service to their twin genius, the pair seem almost forgotten in popular culture. No massive vinyl reissue campaigns by major labels, no racy docudramas, no Record Store Day limited editions.

Bassist and educator Rodney Whitaker has studied the classic work of Ellington and Strayhorn since he was a... read more

Toby Koenigsberg - Sense
by Ric Bang, The Davis Enterprise, October 5, 2006

Toby Koenigsberg grew up in Eugene, Ore. where he's now an assistant professor of jazz piano at the University of Oregon. He received his master of music degree from Eastman, and then pursued graduate studies at the Peabody Conservatory.

Jason Palmer, the trio's drummer, has been associated with Koenigsberg for 15 years, when they formed their first musical group. Bassist Tyler Abbot completes the trio, which has been active for three years... read more

Corey Christiansen - Lone Prairie
by Robert Ratajczak, LongPlay: RadioJAZZ - Poland

[translated from Polish] Lone Prairie is the fifth album by Corey Christiansen in recent years (third released by the American label Origin Records), successfully strengthening his position among the greatest jazz guitarists in the world. After a stunning debut in 2004 (The Awakening), an album he recorded with trio MB3 (Hits Jazz Vol.1), and two albums highly accepted in the United States: Roll With It and Outlaw... read more

Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai

One of the most interesting records...a magical journey where jazz becomes a natural, self-evident entourage. Drawing from Ethiopian Jewish liturgical traditions, pan-African rhythms and modern improvisational language, music combines ancient memories with the latest contemporary formulation. This music is both timeless and urgent. Abate Berihun's passionate tenor and soprano saxophone playing is enriched by his vocal discourse, ranging from... read more

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