Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Bill Anschell - Rumbler
by Robert Rusch, Cadence
Because it opened with one of Monk's finest compositions; "Misterioso", I spent a good deal of time with BILL ANSCHELL's RUMBLER [Origin Records 82728]. Anschell not only offers up a fine arrangement here but he takes the composition head on and goes through various tempos, at one point turning it into a straight blues. Brian Monroney contributes some wonderful guitar work and saxophonist Richard Cole contributes strong playing - offering up... read more
Randy Halberstadt - Open Heart
by Paul Rauch, All About Jazz
4-STARS Seattle based pianist Randy Halberstadt has been a major figure on the jazz scene in the Pacific Northwest for several decades, applying his talents as a pianist, composer, educator, and author. He has four previous releases as a leader, most recently with Flash Point (Origin, 2010). So yes, it has been some time since we last heard from the multidimensional pianist.
In the meantime, Halberstadt has garnered a reputation as... read more
Bill Anschell - Rumbler
by Hobart Taylor, KUCI - Irvine, CA
Bill Anschell is a pianist arranger who provides here that subtle miracle of jazz performance, making an elephant walk on stilts. Deep in tone and soul his tunes and a couple of covers, (most notably Monk's "Misterioso" with a super performance from Seattle's Richard Cole on sax),have solidity and assuredness, and yet seem casual and airy at the same time.... read more
Doug Miller - Regeneration
by Chris Kosky, Bass World
Doug Miller's Regeneration is straight-ahead jazz in the modern vein, with a few twists, not the least of which is that there are drums on only four of the eleven tracks, giving the music a nice chamber jazz vibe. The bassist composed all but two of the tunes, and presents a fine mix of feels and meters. Noteworthy is his Ballad for Don and Midge and his dedication to John Clayton, Blues For Junior. The two standards included on the recording... read more
Rich Thompson - Generations
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Scene
This is actually a standard piano trio with dummer Thompson in a leadership role. Of the nine tunes included, seven are original compositions by trio members. A few comments on the two standards might be in order. ?I Hear a Rhapsody? is explored from every angle by pianist Chris Ziemba. He finally states the melody line the ?last time around,? making this an intensely creative and rewarding version of the classic tune. The other familiar melody... read more
John Wojciechowski - Focus
by Paul Abella, WDCB
Let's start this week with Chicago based saxophonist John Wojciechowski and his new album Focus on Origin Records. He teams up with a monster of a rhythm section, pianist Ryan Cohan, bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Dana Hall. Wojciechowski's a pretty aggressive player on the tenor, and from the get-go on this disc, it's clear he's not planning on taking any prisoners. With such a sympathetic rhythm section, he tears through every nook and... read more
Eric Jacobson - Discover
by Kevin Lynch, Shepherd Express
Eric Jacobson blazes. In person, the naturally powerful Milwaukee trumpeter has long conveyed the impression: "I'm gonna cut anybody here, and all comers." That's fueled some willfully dynamic solos. With trumpet poised, his muscular angularity recalls an Italian Futurist sculpture. So, Discover comes as a surprise, perhaps as a self-discovery, trading competitiveness for musical and artistic maturity.
The tune "Discover" arose from the... read more
Anthony Branker & Imagine - What Place Can Be for Us?
by Matt Collar, All Music Guide
Although he doesn't play any of the instruments on 2023's What Place Can Be for Us?, Anthony Branker's vibrant jazz sensibilities and identity as a first-generation Black American of Caribbean descent are at the core of the album's pulsing character. A longtime professor at Princeton and Rutgers, Branker started out playing trumpet, but health issues following two brain aneurysms in the late '90s forced him to refocus his attention on composing,... read more
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