Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Kobie Watkins - Involved
by Mark F. Turner, All About Jazz
More recently recognized as a member of guitarist Bobby Broom's illustrious trio, Kobie Watkins has proven his savvy as a fearless drummer and now a leader on his debut Involved. Watkins is no neophyte. A native of Chicago who is also an educator, he was once dubbed in a newspaper article as "Teacher has Alter Ego as Jazz Musician" who has performed with the greats - Sonny Rollins, Arturo Sandoval, Fred Anderson and many others.
Mirroring his... read more
Dmitri Matheny - Cascadia
by Carol Banks Weber, Coggie Ink
Dmitri Matheny doesn't ask a lot of you, dear listener. The WA-based jazz flugelhornist and composer does all the work, behind the scenes and in front of the mic — on bandstands across America and in the studio — so you can focus solely on the music and musical stories, anecdotes, and tone poems that move him, from time-honored ballads and stellar soundtracks, to his personal obsession and personal best, jazz noir.
You should see his... read more
Robby Ameen - Diluvio
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Rich post-bop sounds are delivered by drummer Robby Ameen as he brings in a two sax arsenal of Troy Roberts/ts-ss and Bob Franceschini/ts-ss-bs as well as trombonist Conrad Herwig to front the rhythm team of Edsel Gomez-Bill O'Connell/p-key, Lincoln Goines/b and Mauricio Herrera/perc through some percolating arrangements. The horns weave through the assertive and snappy pieces like "Fast Eye" and they get thick with Franceschini on bari during... read more
David Sills - Eastern View
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
With a solid organ trio backing him, tenor saxophonist David Sills grabs your attention with his very first solo on Eastern View's opener, the Sills-penned (as are all the songs here) "New Break." The tune opens with an organ-supplied bass groove backed by shimmering cymbals; then the guitar and sax enter, peeling off some tangy mid-tempo lines, until the accompaniment pulls back and Sills steps out front, with a somewhat restrained (nicely so)... read more
Joonsam - A Door
by Travis Rogers, Jr., JazzTimes
It's hard to improve on a trio that features Aaron Parks on piano and Nate Woods on drums but, when bassist Joonsam Lee was ready to release his debut album as a leader, he beefed up an already formidable line-up by adding Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Yvonnick Prene on harmonica, Ben Monder on guitar, and the fascinating additions of Yeahwon Shin on vocals and Chungeun Han on the bamboo flute. The trio, however, remains the core.
Released on... read more
Marlene Rosenberg - MLK Convergence
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
No, this is not a tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King, but instead the MLK monicker refers to the first letter of the names of bassist/leader Marlene Rosenberg, drummer Lewis Nash and pianist Kenny Barron. You can also throw in Christian McBride for a couple cameos, as he bows on the hip blues "And Still We Rise" and digs a deep pulse for the vocals of Rosenberg with Thomas Burrell and Robert Irving III for a social rap poem on "Not The... 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
Joel Miller Sienna Dahlen - Dream Cassette
by Raul da Gama, The Whole Note
On Dream Cassette, Dahlen teams up with an extraordinarily gifted multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Joel Miller who, in each of 12 original songs here, has tempered his arsenal of sophisticated compositional resources with fond and haunting reminiscences reflecting the contours of New Brunswick's rich and yet starkly dramatic cultural landscape. The mostly unfamiliar tunes serve as unifying devices, which in the hands of Miller and Dahlen,... read more
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