Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Marius Nordal - Notoriety
by Jason West, Earshot Jazz
Oscar Peterson used to advise his students not to be afraid of the piano. Somehow, I don’t think it was piano they feared.
Listening to Marius Nordal’s "Notoriety" can be just as intimidating. Nordal’s technical mastery of the piano is immediately apparent, and his arrangements---he’s worked primarily as a composer---are highly original. To echo the words of Count Basie, Nordal plays "a whole lot of piano," and like... read more
Harvie S - Bright Dawn
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Bassist extraordinaire Harvie S does some delightful interplay with his adroit team Peter Bernstein/g, Miki Hayama/p and Matt Wilson/dr on this collection of mostly originals. He strums the strings to lead into a hip boogie groove with Bernstein on the classic "Devil May Care" while his digits pizzicato with pleasure with Hayama on the post-bop read of Chick Corea's "Humpty Dumpty". Wilson scratches and taps out a rich pulse on "Ghosts Of... read more
Todd Bishop - Little Played Little Bird
by Rebecca Ruth, WYCE Music Journal
Accomplished photographer, landscape oils painter and drummer, Todd Bishop, may be familiar to you because of his group, Pop Art 4, which is dedicated to exploring commercial music of the 60s and 70s. (Such as Todd Bishop Pop Art 4: 69 Annee Erotique: Music of Serge Gainsbourg.) Except for the classic "Lonely Woman", you've likely not heard most of the songs on Little Played Little Bird. That's because band leader,... read more
Bill Anschell - More To The Ear Than Meets The Eye
by John Nyerges, www.jazzradio247.com
This Origin Records 2006 release starts with deconstructing the melody Night & Day and has wonderful rhythms (!!) floating over the bar lines. Monkisms, use of space, ? time feel, and the chordal voicings are all very musical. The accompaniment of Miller and Martinez is top shelf here (as is everyone on this CD).
Then comes an original tune more rhythmic in it's melody than say a more typical linear approach as in an older song-style standard �... read more
Scenes - ...But Not Heard
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
ECM Records has been noted for its "Nordic Cool," school, from its many recordings of Scandinavian artists, with pianist Tord Gustavsen coming most readily to mind. Seattle's Origin Records has what can be called its "Northwest U.S. Cool" with recordings from bassist Jeff Johnson, saxophonist Hans Teuber , and the collective trio Scenes, with guitarist John Stowell, drummer John Bishop and, again, Jeff Johnson on bass.
Scenes' eponymous... read more
Bobby Broom - The Way I Play: Live In Chicago
by Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press
a no-frills bebop date recorded live at a Chicago-area steakhouse with bassist Dennis Carroll and snappy drummer Kobie Watkins. Best known for his long tenure with Sonny Rollins, Broom's solos have a soulful and bluesy bite, a gritty bob and weave as his lines snake through the harmony. There's nothing complicated to the eight standards here, and in some ways the record is woefully under-produced.
But casualness is the point. This is what... read more
Benjamin Boone - Caught in the Rhythm
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Most of the times, when you listen to an album, you compare it to something that you've heard before that might be similar to it. That doesn't work with this album, as it is quite unique in its concept and delivery. Carry on...
An ambitious project by composer and saxist Benjamin Boone is recorded here, as a mix of not only poems, but poets, and not only poets but musicians in various conglomerations juxtapose a both a wide range of... read more
Gary Hobbs - Of My Times
by ANNIE PIERCE RUSUNEN, The Vancouver Columbian
He's got the beat
Sunday, September 12, 2004
By ANNIE PIERCE RUSUNEN, Columbian staff writer
Most musicians hit the road in their 20s and tour until the endless miles and late-night concerts take a toll on the soul.
Vancouver's Gary Hobbs is the first to admit he's doing things a little, well, backwards.
From his vibrant terra cotta-hued living room, this 55-year-old jazz drummer, sitting with his 9-week-old kitten,... read more
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