Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Chris Walden Big Band - No Bounds
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
The follow-up to a particularly successful debut album, No Bounds brings more of what could potentially be referred to as "contemporary" big band. Big band as a major force disappeared decades ago, and those playing now are almost entirely nostalgia-based groups playing the old standards. Chris Walden is one of a very few that has adapted the genre to fit some more contemporary ideas, and takes new directions with the large-scale format. Here,... read more
Cuong Vu - Leaps of Faith
by Dave Sumner, Bird Is The Worm Jazz Blog
Trumpeter Cuong Vu has established a sound quite unlike anyone else on the scene. With lighthouse moans soaring above a wash of dissonance and electronics, he?s created a post-bop ambient style of avant-garde. Or said differently, it?s the metaphorical equivalent of a straight-ahead jazz melody dropped onto a tiny desert island in a sea of chaotic noise. The end result is that it?s pretty damn hard to find a Cuong Vu album that isn?t compelling... read more
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
An original composition by Jared Hall is the title tune, "Hometown." It has a warm, beautiful melody. Ben Markley begins the song with a piano bass line that sets mood and tempo. Born in Spokane, Washington, this project by Jared Hall celebrates memories of places, people and the family that shaped him. Musically and physically, he returns back to his West Coast roots.
Hall was lured home by a university teaching position offered from his... read more
Collier & Dean - Sleek Buick
by Dave Sumner, Wondering Sound
Real nice contemporary fusion recording, led out by vibraphonist Tom Collier, and also including some powerhouse names from the contemporary scene like Ernie Watts, Ted Poor, Alex Acuna and Don Grusin. Album starts out with a bluegrass ditty, with mandolinist Andy Leftwich spurring them on, then moves into more common territory. Songs have a nice motion to them, "Lettercollum/Paris" in particular, which is all kinds of likable. Typically not... read more
Nick Finzer - The Chase
by Dan Ouellette, Downbeat Profile
Trombonist Nick Finzer, 27, keenly recognizes the ebbs and flows of the jazz idiom. He appreciates its fluidity as pop music melds into the straightahead language of the jazz legacy. But he's taken a different road for revitalizing the heritage of jazz for the modern age.
"I don't want to abandon the tradition," said the tall and slender Finzer, who plays his instrument with a combination of fat-sound power and rich lyricism. "I want to... read more
Tom Collier - Impulsive Illuminations
by Jeff Potter, Downbeat
***
On his eighth disc for Origin, mallet man Tom Collier takes a departure with a go-for-broke set of free improvisations. Joining Collier is Richard Karpen, who lends a modern classical sensibility with his bold, cascading piano excursions. A third guest is featured on each track, resulting in diverse tableaus.
A recently retired University of Washington professor, Collier has gathered notable guests who are also faculty colleagues.... read more
Anthony Branker - Beauty Within
by Editor, Drumhead Magazine
The music of composer Anthony Branker stands firmly on jazz traditions while simultaneously pushing the boundaries in bold and beautiful new directions. For his seventh release for Origin Records, Branker features brilliant new works as performed by longtime collaborator-saxophonist Ralph Bowen, guitarist Pete McCann, pianist Fabian Almazan, bassist Linda Oh, and drummer Rudy Royston. Branker's new ensemble, Imagine, takes his expansive... read more
Bill Anschell - Rumbler
by Paul Rauch, All About Jazz
Seattle's eclectic jazz scene has produced a long line of significant voices that have impacted the music on a national and international level. Bill Anschell, as a pianist and composer certainly falls into that category that has produced the likes of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson, and presently, trumpeter Thomas Marriott. His new Origin Records CD Rumbler, represents his ninth album as a leader, and his first featuring original... read more
Looking for a specific review?
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Search Reviews:
Recently Added Reviews:
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect