Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble - The Atwood Suites
by Felipe Freitas, The Jazz Trail
The new album from Canadian saxophonist Andrew Rathbun comprises three suites. The 2-CD set Atwood Suites, co-produced by Rathbun and drummer George Schuller, features a contagious 18-piece jazz orchestra of respectful instrumentalists and renowned soloists, including saxophonists Quintin Nachoff and John O'Gallagher, trumpeters Tim Hagans (as a featured soloist on CD1) and Russ Johnson, trombonist Alan Ferber, guitarist Nate Radley, and... read more
Matt Otto - Red
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Saxophonist Matt Otto is Los Angeles-based these days, but for his fifth CD, Red, he got together with some musical running mates from his time in New York: guitarist Greg Toughy, drummer Qasim Naqvi, and bassist Danton Boller. Considering its standard jazz lineup of tenor sax and a rhythm section, the band has crafted quite an original sound.
The set of eight Otto orignals sustains a hauntingly restrained mood from start to finish, churning... read more
Michael Zilber - East West: Music for Big Bands
by Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal (UK)
Contemporary big band music is in short supply nowadays, and so for that matter are big bands. Canadian-born Michael Zilber ably compensates for the first of these deficiencies with his composing and arranging.
His compositions, of which there are eight here, are strikingly original, while his arrangements are very much of today yet remain accessible to listeners. When arranging the compositions of others, he seeks and finds stylistic... read more
David Sills - Down The Line
by Brian Soergel, JazzTimes, September 2006
Tenorist David Sills, despite being in his mid-30's, could pass for a Lester Young disciple of the late 1940s or 1950s. Not that he sounds like any one Young follower in particular, as he possesses a personal tone and constructs his solos in a distinctive manner. His thoughtful improvisations catch the ear with unexpected phrasing that swings comfortably along. Sills shares the frontline with altoist Gary Foster, another saxophonist whose pure... read more
Cathy Segal-Garcia - SOCIAL ANTHEMS, VOLUME 1
by Troy Dostert, All About Jazz
Proving there is still some life in the spirit of '60s activism—and even in the decades beyond it—vocalist Cathy Segal-Garcia gives us six tracks which meld jazz, folk and pop idioms in a way which sounds both classic and contemporary. Drawing on the talents of a fine band and a couple of intriguing guest vocalists, Segal-Garcia delivers these tunes with confidence and a winsome disposition.
Aside from the self-penned "What Are We Gonna... read more
Michael Dease - The Other Shoe: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Various, DownBeat Hot Box
4-Stars - Dease proves yet again that straightahead post-bop can prove to be fertile ground for musical ingenuity and emotional heft as he tips, grandly, to composer Gregg Hill. —John Murph
3 1/2-Stars - Bustling like a mashup of Ray Anderson and Charles Mingus, Dease's band carves a broad swath through territory that seems somewhat familiar. Clarinetist Virginia MacDonald is a particular standout. —James Hale
3... read more
Matt Jorgensen - Tattooed by Passion: Music inspired by the paintings of Dale Chisman
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Music based on visual art is nothing new (many know of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition if nothing else), but can be a mixed bag in terms of quality. Though both art forms can show improvisation and structure, musicians have to walk a fine line: too literal in their transcription of color and strength and they risk making terrible music; too free with the aesthetics of their own musical ideas and they risk ignoring the visual... read more
Scenes - Silent Photographer
by Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition
Scenes: placing modern artistic jazz in an empathic trio setting.
The Pacific Northwest is full of jazz musicians who deserve more notice outside the region. The Seattle/Portland trio Scenes is one example. Guitarist John Stowell, bassist Jeff Johnson and Origin Records honcho/drummer John Bishop first came together, along with tenor saxophonist Rick Mandyck, on the 2001 album Scenes. Since that time, Bishop, Stowell and Johnson have... read more
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