Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by Mark S Tucker, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
Luckily, I'd received Jack Mouse's "Range of Motion" at the same time I got Rich Thompson's "Less is More" and stacked them together in my slush pile. Reviewing the two, one right after the other, afforded a sharp contrast in drumming styles even though the two have played in much the same genre of ensembles as they now solo in smaller format CD releases. Mouse is an ambient sort of cat who creates environments for the rest of the band to... read more
Jessica Williams - With Love
by Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
This masterpiece of quiet reflection is the pianist's first recording since surgery repaired spinal deterioration that kept her out of action for more than two years. With exquisite slowness, she explores eight standard ballads and her composition "Paradise of Love." In her notes, Williams writes, "I wanted to make an album that while still rooted in jazz, relied less on technique and improvisation and more on Jessica Williams Smiling 3... read more
Idit Shner - Minerva
by Nicholas May, The Saxophonist Magazine
When it comes to the saxophone, or any instrument, it is uncommon for an artist to be well versed in two very different generes. Dr. Idit Shner, Associate Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at the University of Oregon, has established herself as a multi-talented, bilingual saxophonist across her numerous classical and jazz albums. Although I have not yet listened to her full discography, I certainly will be!
The album's title comes... read more
Jack Mouse - Range of Motion
by Brent Black, Critical Jazz
Origin Records is an often overlooked label when in reality they have a stable of artists that are as technically proficient and artistically gifted as most any other label one can think of. The Jack Mouse Group is certainly no exception and with a distinguished musical resume including work with such luminaries as Kenny Burrell, Bob Mintzer, and Sheila Jordon it is easy to see this is not Mouse's first rodeo.
Jack Mouse has assembled what... read more
Wellstone Conspiracy - Motives
by John Barron, All About Jazz
The Wellstone Conspiracy is a collective venture for four of the more prolific jazz musicians residing in the Northwest region of the United States. The group consists of Idaho-based saxophonist Brent Jensen and from Seattle, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop. The quartet, previously heard together on Jensen's One More Mile (Origin, 2008), hits the mark with Motives, a disc full of stunning interplay and... read more
Various Artists - Modern Jazz: A Collection of Seattle's Finest Jazz
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
A nice compilation of the lighter and somewhat more mainstream end of the Origin label's growing catalog of Seattle jazzers. With a number of artists represented, the mainstay of the album is a focus with something of a modern bent. There are aspects of post-bop to be heard, and slight references to the third stream set, but far and away, the bulk of the material is based in contemporary instrumental jazz. The piano plays heavily in all or most... read more
Various Artists - Winter: An Origin Records Holiday Collection
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
A nice Christmas album from a quartet of players from the Origin stables. The bulk of the album is taken up with standards for the season, with a couple of old English carols thrown in, as well as a couple of new compositions by guitarist Dave Peterson (and a stray Horace Silver number). The tone taken throughout the proceedings is a full one, with thick notes on the sax and a good sustain on the guitar. Overall, the sound is very warm, very... read more
Tom Luer - Project Popular
by David Franklin, Cadence
In his liner notes, woodwind expert Gary Foster refers to Tom Luer and his cohorts as "young Jazz artists," but they've been around and play like well-seasoned veterans. Still, their youth is a factor in this music, as Luer acknowledges growing up with such Pop music groups as Pearl Jam, Prince, and Soundgarden, whose music he chose to employ as the impetus for this recording. The leader, an active performer and educator in the Los Angeles area,... read more
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