Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Nancy Kelly - Be Cool
by Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz Scene
Nancy Kelly, who recorded her debut album in 1987, recently released her seventh recording, Be Cool. She has a strong and appealing voice, swings even when sticking close to the lyrics of a song, and is not afraid to stretch herself.
Be Cool is Nancy Kelly's second recording with an organist and her first with William Gorman whose powerful and at time dominant playing is a throwback to Wild Bill Davis along with the 1960s giants... read more
Phil Kelly & The SW Santa Ana Winds - My Museum
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
To paraphrase the peerless Bard of Avon, a wind from any other clime would blow as hot -- or as cool. Last year, composer/arranger Phil Kelly happily introduced big band enthusiasts to the turbulent NW Prevailing Winds (Seattle) on the stormy album Convergence Zone; this year, he has empowered the cyclonic SW Santa Ana Winds (Los Angeles) to raise the barometric pressure and spawn another tempestuous tour de force, My Museum.
Knowing there... 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
Delia Fischer - Delia Fischer: Beyond Bossa
by Mariana Peixoto, Estado de Minas Cultura (Brazil)
Delia Fischer, 60 years old with a 40 year career, has an outlier trajectory. A pianist by training, she soon embarked on an instrumental path. Later, she arrived at musical theater. She worked a lot, but there was professional dissatisfaction in the air. This issue was only resolved when she started singing her own songs, which effectively happened in 2010, with "Presente", her second solo album.
The recently released "Delia Fischer Beyond... read more
Upper Left Trio - Three
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
The Upper Left Trio is a tight piano-bass-drums trio whose interplay borders on the intuitive at times. Pianist Clay Giberson, bassist Jeff Leonard and drummer Charlie Doggett engage in the type of musical conversations that Bill Evans made famous in the 1960s even though they do not emulate Evans too closely. Their treatments of the group originals (the only standards are "The In Crowd" and Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down") are... read more
Thomas Marriott - Urban Folklore
by Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes
Editorial Pick Thomas Marriott would be better known if he had stayed in New York, where he was a respected trumpet player on the scene in the early years of the new millennium. Instead, for quality-of-life reasons, he returned to his hometown of Seattle, where he has assembled a substantial body of work on the local label, Origin. Marriott usually records with Seattle's best players, but here he employs a name-brand East Coast rhythm... read more
Pharez Whitted - For the People
by Frank Alkyer, DownBeat Magazine
EDITOR'S PICK - DECEMBER 2012
On For The People, Chicago-based trumpeter Pharez Whitted digs into the hard-bop bag and pulls out an 11-song set that?s perfect for a weekend chill or a serious road trip. The unison lines he plays with guitarist Bobby Broom on tunes like ?Watusi Boogaloo? are infectious. ?If They Could Only See? delivers a sweet groove. But don?t think this is light listening. ?Freedom Song? packs a punch fueled... read more
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Interaction
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
David Friesen plays the Hemage bass for the most part and occasionally the piano on this two disc set with saxist Joe Manis and drummers Charlie Doggett or Reuben Bradley. The firstr disc was recorded in Portland, and features nimble interplay between the three. Friesen's warm piano teams well with Manis' soprano on "Soft As Silk" and "Sequence" while his flexible bass gets funky with Manis on tenor on "Interaction" and Doggett in high hat... read more
Looking for a specific review?
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Search Reviews:
Recently Added Reviews:
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect