Origin Records Reviews

Meridian Odyssey - Second Wave
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

Seattle's Origin Records opened 2021 on a hopeful, turning-of-the-page note with Second Wave, by the group Meridian Odyssey. The band comprised five young (twenty-something) Seattle-ites who took advantage of the time on their collective hands, and the low air fares resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, to journey to Alaska, where guitarist Martin Budde's father—a pilot—owns an airplane hangar which served as a recording studio. Where the... read more

Jordan VanHemert - Survival of the Fittest
by Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene

Tenor saxophonist Jordan VanHemert's fifth album as a leader, Survival Of The Fittest, was partly borne out of anger and distress after losing a teaching job due to budget cuts (he has since found one at a different college) and his experiences with racism in general. Despite that, the music on this release (five originals, "Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise," "Come Sunday," a Korean folk song, and a blues) is generally hopeful,... read more

Alison Ruble - Ashland
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

Vocalist Alison Ruble's second CD for Origin is much like her first effort, a mix of standards and pop with embellishments of folk and rock, with arrangements again by guitarist John McLean. Gifted with a warm alto voice, Ruble starts off with an intriguing take of "The Summer Knows" (remembered by many as Michel Legrand's haunting theme written for the early 1970s film "Summer of '42") that has a rich backdrop of acoustic guitar, alto flute,... read more

Ray LeVier - Ray's Way
by Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes, May 2009

Lots of young musicians go out and get some established people to play on their debut recordings as leaders. Ray LeVier got strong ones: Joe Locke on vibes, either John Abercrombie or Mike Stern on guitar, Dave Binney on alto saxophone and Francois Moutin on bass. But very few debut albums create such tight, committed, synergistic ensembles. This band should go on tour. The only question would be which guitarist to bring. Abercrombie, who... read more

Scenes - ...But Not Heard
by Dave Sumner, emusic

Scenes, a trio of guitarist John Stowell, bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer John Bishop, typically plays straight-ahead modern jazz, though Stowell has a peculiar form of voicing in a guitar trio setting that imbues the music with a spectral presence, as if he isn't stating a melody so much as suggesting that its there. That tends to make for a cerebral experience that balances well with the trio's inherent warmth. Hans Teuber guests on sax... read more

Richard Cole - Inner Mission
by Ric Bang, JazzScan.com

This is another release from the great musicians who have made the Pacific Northwest their home; only world-famous trumpeter Randy Brecker resides elsewhere. This Seattle-area congregation consists of more than a dozen musicians who perform in various quartets and quintets, depending on the track.

Brecker and Thomas Marriott handle the trumpet and flugelhorn; Richard Cole plays both tenor and soprano sax; and Bill Anschell and John Hansen... read more

Tom Collier - Alone in the Studio
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz

4 1/2 STARS Percussionist Tom Collier has the solo touch. His previous recording, Tom Collier: Plays Haydn, Mozart, Telemann and Others (Origin, 2012) had the vibraphonist and educator making his way through a Baroque and classical recitals to great effect. Presently, Collier strolls through some originals and standards and not-so-standard standards making up this most inventive and clever collection of songs.

Alone in the... read more

Ben Thomas Tango Project - Eternal Aporia
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz

They say it takes two to tango. On Ben Thomas' new album, Eternal Aporia ("uncertainty; doubt"), it takes at least three, and sometimes half a dozen. That's not a bad thing, as Thomas' splendid core trio is fleshed out on three numbers by cellist Gretchen Vanover and on two others by Vanover, violinist Brandon Vance and pianist Jonathan Greer, making the tango more lustrous and enchanting than ever. Thomas himself plays vibraphone, bandoneon and... read more

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