Origin Records Reviews

Bill Anschell - Shifting Standards
by Georges Tonla Briquet, JazzHalo (Belgium)

The American pianist Bill Anschell has been testing the combinations between jazz standards and pop for ten years in the company of loyal accompanist bassist Jeff Johnson (Hal Galper, Bud Shank, Lew Tabackin) and drummer D'Vonne Lewis (Charles Gayle, Wynton Marsalis). The three have a permanent place at Tula's Jazz Club in Seattle. However, Anschell has been active for a total of three decades. For 'Shifting Standards' he limits himself to nine... read more

Ron Di Salvio - Essence of Green, A Tribute to Kind Of Blue
by John Henry, Audiophile Audition

****

A most interesting concept is behind this CD. Pianist/composer Di Salvio - who studied with Lennie Tristano - sought to do an album along the lines of the historic Miles Davis/Bill Evans Kind of Blue. That landmark 1959 recording has been reissued in countless forms, had two books written about its making, and its complete score is now available - including all the various soloists' improvisations. All ten tracks are Di Salvio... read more

Shawn Purcell - Oblivity
by Pete Prown, Vintage Guitar Magazine

With burnin' bop, ballad, and fusion, this album crackles with life - and superb musicianship. Purcell threads the needle well, staying traditional but also pushing jazz boundaries with guitar effects and synth sounds ("Quiet the Chaos"). "Verdigris" is straight-ahead bop with complex guitar phrases that are spellbinding, while "Gentle Giant" offers a slow ballad with Shawn's melodic and masterful... read more

Nick Finzer - The Chase
by Travis Rogers, Jr., The Jazz Owl

Any list of promising young trombonists has got to include Nick Finzer at or near the top. In "The Chase" (Origin Records 82693), his second album as leader, Finzer brings along the best and the brightest: Pianist Glenn Zaleski, Saxman Lucas Pino, guitarist Alex Wintz, Dave Baron on bass and Jimmy Macbride on drums. From the very first track, these guys smoke.

That first track is "Life Happens." Glenn Zaleski starts the album with Finzer and... read more

Cathy Segal-Garcia - SOCIAL ANTHEMS, VOLUME 1
by Michael Doherty, Michael's Music Blog

Certain songs from the past seem to address present troubles. Or perhaps those troubles never went away. Jazz vocalist Cathy Segal-Garcia presents her own renditions of a few of these songs on her new album, beginning with Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," a song that has popped up a lot lately, especially after the police's response to Black Lives Matter protests, and after authorities attacked peaceful protesters in D.C. so that the... read more

Laurie Antonioli - Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light
by Dr. Debra Jan Bibel, Amazon.com

Joni Mitchell certainly has gone far since June 1968 when I listened to the then emerging composer sing at New York's The Bitter End. Having become one of the honored greats of music, her numerous songs have been covered by many singers and instrumentalists. This includes jazz artists, which is appropriate since Mitchell herself wrote and performed jazz crossovers. The latest is from vocalist Laurie Antonioli, whose new album, Songs of... read more

Marlene Rosenberg - MLK Convergence
by Robert Rusch, Cadence Magazine

There are a number of elements that can influence me as to whether or not I'll write about a CD. Music is of course, foremost, then packaging, historical importance and so forth. I have enjoyed MARLENE ROSENBERG's MLK CONVERGENCE [Origin Records 82781]. On display here is both Rosenberg's bass playing (she has a touch of Mingus there) as well as her sincere concerns regarding social justice that is missing in today's society, but what really... read more

Bobby Broom - Upper West Side Story
by Darryl Daniels, The Jazz Page

Chicago-based guitarist Bobby Broom returns to his roots with his tenth and latest recording. Upper West Side Story finds the New York City native paying homage to the place of his physical and musical birth. The album has the feel of a big city guitar trio, with Broom and longtime bandmates, bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins, working together again quite nicely. There?s a rawness to the playing of Broom and company here that... read more

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