Origin Records Reviews

Brent Jensen - Trios
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

Alto saxophonist Brent Jensen reinterprets seven classic, time-tested standards on Trios; and if the word "standards" makes you think "mainstream," don't be surprised if the sound here incorporates a free and elastic vibe.

The Idaho-based reedman -- the Director of Jazz Studies and Woodwinds at College of South Idaho in Twin Falls -- employs two very different trios on this, his fourth Origin Records release. Three tunes feature Jamie... read more

Richard Sussman - Live at Sweet Rhythm
by Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

Pianist Richard Sussman led a quintet in the late 1970s and made one record (Free Fall) for Inner City, though after going to Europe for a time, he was unable to land another record deal as a leader. After years of working in a supporting role by touring with various pop and rock acts, along with the occasional jazz gig and teaching at the Manhattan School of Music, Sussman was able to reunite his quintet for some dates in 2003, when this CD was... read more

Richard Sussman - Continuum
by Terry Holmes, New York City Jazz Record

As the title suggests, Richard Sussman?s album is a study in endurance. By reuniting with some of the players who appeared on his 1978 debut Free Fall and presenting a diverse roster of new tunes, Sussman underscores how true musicality is never diminished by the passage of time.

In other words, the ol? fellas still have it. Tenor man Jerry Bergonzi steps in straight from the woodshed on the Jazz Messengers-inflected ?Spare Change? and his... read more

Hal Galper - Trip the Light Fantastic
by Stuart Kremsky, Cadence

You can?t help but be inspired and even touched by the continued accomplishments of a respected musician who really doesn?t have anything to prove at this stage of the game but can?t stop growing and experimenting.

Pianist Hal Galper, who first recorded with some pretty fast company in the Sixties like Chet Baker, Sam Rivers, and Bobby Hutcherson, is perhaps best known for his decade-long stint with Phil Woods in the Eighties. Trip the... read more

Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra - Groove Junkies
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz

4-STARS When it comes to big-band recordings, commitment and enthusiasm can go a long way toward assuring success. Those benchmarks are fully displayed on Groove Junkies, the third album by trombonist Ben Patterson's Washington, DC-based Jazz Orchestra. While Patterson's compositions and arrangements are not exactly straight ahead—there's an ample measure of funk, back beats and electronic effects to reinforce the customary... read more

Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble - The Atwood Suites
by Friedrich Kunzmann, All About Jazz

In a way, the Atwood Suites have been in the works for almost two decades. When Kenny Wheeler approached Toronto native Andrew Rathbun in search for a band in 2001, the former furthermore inquired if the latter would like a composition of his own penning to be performed beside Wheeler's "Suite Time Suite." Consequently, the "Power Politics Suite," which makes for the second half of the first CD, was born, with Wheeler's and vocalist Luciana... read more

Todd Bishop - Travelogue
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly

Here's a well-centered post bop jazz quartet for you. Todd Bishop handles the drums here, and leads from behind much more effectively than Barack Obama with a team of Chris Higgins/b, Richard Cole/sax-cl-fl and Jasnam Daya Sing (Weber Iago)/keys. The band goes back and forth between acoustic and electric, with the former sounding like a bunch of Headhunters on the funky "Only Shallow" and Cole's bass clarinet slithering along on the... read more

John Stowell | Michael Zilber - Live Beauty
by Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm

Nice live set from a sax-guitar-bass-drums quartet. Zilber's effusive attitude on sax matches well with Stowell's tastefulness on guitar. Plenty to like on this straight-ahead modern jazz... read more

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