Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Piet Verbist - Suite Réunion
by Tom Greenland, The New York City Jazz Record
Bassists aren't always the most extroverted members of an ensemble, so it's always intriguing to hear what they'll choose to present given the reins of leadership. German Holger Scheidt, Belgian Piet Verbist and Dane Morten Haxholm each reveal a bit of themselves in the way they handle these reins:
Antwerp-based Verbist surely falls on the 'team player' end of the bassist-as-leader personality spectrum, favoring a big round sound, eschewing... read more
Tom Rizzo - Day and Night
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
The names in guitarist Tom Rizzo's starting lineup on Day and Night indicate that this is a West Coast-based group, an observation that is borne out in Rizzo's bio, which says he is "active [on] the Los Angeles music scene" and served as guitarist for the Tonight Show band when Jay Leno was at the helm, reinforced by the song "Heart of L.A.," one of Rizzo's four original compositions.
Rizzo's tentet, featuring some of the Los Angeles area's... read more
Bill Anschell | Brent Jensen - We Couldn't Agree More
by Michael Steinman, Cadence
Jazz duet playing requires empathy and quick responses, qualities evident in profusion on We Couldn't Agree More. On [this record], Anschell and Jensen make music that is startlingly beautiful, surprising, and powerful. At points, I was reminded of the experiments of Al Cohn and Jimmy Rowlek, the forays of Joel Press and Kyle Aho. But these two players follow their own impulses. While exploring familiar standards and honoring their melodic... read more
Gabriel Espinosa - The Brazilian Project
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Beyond the Title: Gabriel Espinosa's The Brazilian Project Reimagines Jazz as a Borderless Language
Don't let the title fool you, the Brazilian Project isn't really a Brazilian album, at least not in any obvious way. Sure, the arrangements borrow bits and pieces from Brazilian music, but this isn't some straightforward tribute. Even knowing the composer hails from Mexico doesn't help much with pinning down the style. At its... read more
Scott Reeves Quintet - The Alchemist
by Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs
This lost recording was originally performed 'live' at the City College of New York in 2005, sixteen years ago. During the 2020 pandemic, when Scott Reeves had time on his hands, like thousands of other musicians, out of curiosity, Scott Reeves gave this long shelved project a listen.
"I was excited to hear how the quintet played so well together and I felt this may have been among my own personal bests. During the time of this... read more
Chad McCullough - Dark Wood, Dark Water
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Like many artists who lead dates on Origin, Chad McCullough makes his recording debut for the label, joined by veterans like saxophonists Mark Taylor and Geof Bradfield, pianist Bill Anschell (whose career has flourished since relocating to the Pacific Northwest), bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer John Bishop. McCullough's rich re-harmonized treatment of the Beatles' "Blackbird" barely touches on the melody before it progresses well beyond its... read more
Randy Halberstadt - Flash Point
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Though the Origin label has a special knack for finding excellent bands led by drummers, they have also had considerable success discovering groups led by talented musicians who play other instruments. Pianist Randy Halberstadt is an excellent example of this. On his second album for the label, Halberstadt combines with a quartet of additional notables from the Seattle jazz scene for a surprisingly wide-ranging set. The album opens in a strong... read more
Hal Galper / Jeff Johnson / John Bishop - Furious Rubato
by Andrew Johnston, Jazz Review
Rubato is a difficult to define term, but it can be described as taking liberty in the tempo to obtain a certain feeling or mood. It is more common in classical solo pieces, but pianist Hal Galper, along with Jeff Johnson and John Bishop explore this abstract musical concept in a jazz trio setting on Furious Rubato.
As the title suggests, the trio uses rubato throughout the album. While playing, each member of the band can change the tempo... read more
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