Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Ben Patterson - Stretch
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
5-STARS Ben Patterson's "Stretch" Blends Big Band Mastery With Modern Jazz Fusion Energy
The studio monitors glow as the first notes of Stretch begin to unfold, and almost immediately the room feels transformed. There is sunlight in this music, but also discipline, architecture and memory. The new album from Ben Patterson arrives with the confidence of a musician who has spent decades mastering both the language of jazz... read more
Benny Powell - Nextep
by George Fendel, Oregon Jazz Scene
Benny Powell can hand you a resume with the likes of Basie, Jones-Lewis, Heath, and Benny Carter to name a few. This time out, however, it's Benny's own band with TK Blue on reeds, Sayuri Goto, piano, Essiet Essiet, bass, Billy Hart, drums. The group begins with a New Orleans-like street march called "Free to Be Me." It seems to set the pace for the remaining nine originals by various band members. For the most part, there's a nice, laid-back,... read more
Tim Jensen - A Mind For The Scenery
by Tom Ineck, Berman Music Review
Like much of the bountiful fruit harvested at Origin Records in Portland, Ore., Tim Jensen's "A Mind for the Scenery" challenges the listener from the get-go.
Jensen is a composer and reed player of eclectic tastes, versatility, technique and audacious creativity. He also is an arranger and a bandleader who knows how to surround himself with like-minded musicians capable of equal audacity. Take for example the opener, "Sausage," a squiggly... read more
James Moody - 80 Years Young: Live at the Blue Note, March 26, 2005
by John Murph, DownBeat
To commemorate jazz legend James Moody's centennial birthday celebration, Origin Records releases the sanguine James Moody: 80 Years Young-Live At The Blue Note. The album captures both a March 2005 birthday party and a victory lap for Moody as he fronts a stellar and rotating cast of musicians that includes trombonist Slide Hampton, pianist Cedar Walton and alto saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera. The vibes are as relaxed... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - No Bounds
by Fred Bouchard, Downbeat, December 2006
Arms-wide embraces and straightforward voicings mark the squeaky-clean but silky-smooth style of trumpeter and film and TV composer Walden. A cast of 60-plus with international guests wail these tight-as-a-cricket charts and take brisk solos. Tierney Sutton sings Peggy Lee straight-arrow on "People Will Say We're In Love" as trombonist Bob McChesney goes wild. The album features Walden's spacious, seamless charts, but offers few surprises:... read more
Mike Pope - The Parts You Keep
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
5-STARS Mike Pope's Sonic Architecture: A Jazz Tapestry of Intellect, Emotion, and Mastery.
Internationally acclaimed composer and bassist Mike Pope has long stood at the confluence of intellect and intuition in jazz. With his latest album, he offers a grand, ambitious work that speaks directly to those who crave music with depth, complexity, and a reverence for the genre's rich legacy. From the first track, a turbulent wave of sound... read more
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Where the Light Falls
by Don Lerman, Cadence
Bassist/composer David Friesen's recent 2-CD volume contains almost two hours of consistently excellent music. The music is taken from three sources, a studio session (in Germany) and two live performances (in Tempe and Portland). Ten of the nineteen total selections were done by Friesen's "Circle 3 Trio" from the studio session and the Portland concert, while special guest Larry Koonse joined the trio on guitar for the nine selections... read more
Western Jazz Collective - Dark Journey: The Music of Andrew Rathbun
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Subtitled "The Music of Andrew Rathburn", this album brings together a collection of musical journeys by composer, reed man and band member Andrew Rathbun, played alongside Scott Cowan/tp, Greg Jasperse/voc, Matt Landon/g, Matthew Fries/p, John Hebert/b, Keith Hall/dr and guest Kevin Jones/perc. The 9 pieces have a wide range of moods, with each song a rich journey in themselves, Rathbun's tenor sways with Landon on the deep groove of "Different... read more
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