Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Josh Nelson - The Sky Remains
by Nick Davies, London Jazz News
The Sky Remains is pianist Josh Nelson's tribute to his hometown Los Angeles. Each of the album's 10 tracks is a story around a theme with references to the city. From songs like Run, which is the story of runner Mack Robinson who came second in the 200 metre dash at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, to Pacific Ocean Park about the nautical theme park located on a pier in Santa Monica. Every song is a story: lesser known and mysterious tales delivered... read more
Diego Barber & Hugo Cipres - 411
by Domi, Republic of Jazz - Spain
The opening of the decidedly modern music on 411, the track entitled "Timanfaya," sounds like a spooky, welcome to a plugged-in netherworld. It begins with electric surges and wafflings, then glowing beeps punctuating electric washes before a shift into tune two, "all in," that sounds as if the late multiple reedman Eric Dolphy is hanging around the place, where he's hooked up with guitarist/composer Frank Zappa.
The music is the... read more
Mimi Fox - This Bird Still Flies
by Lou Fancher, The Mercury News
Shook up after a five-hour medical procedure and a nightmare surprise breast cancer diagnosis, jazz guitarist Mimi Fox stood, stunned, in a hospital parking lot. Swirling overhead in the night sky, a flock of birds chirped and sang a complicated, gorgeous, melodic song.
Months later, during treatment, the Vallejo-based composer and musician completed her replicated version of the tune. This "Bird Still Flies" is the title track of Fox's new,... read more
Bobby Broom - Song And Dance
by Doug Ramsey, artsjournal.com
Accompanied by bass and drums, the Sonny Rollins and Dr. John guitarist plays a relaxed program of his compositions and others by Schwartz & Dietz, The Beatles, Charlie Chaplin and Jimmy Webb. A highlight: Broom's harmonic adventuring in an extended cadenza in "Good Old Days," the Little Rascals... read more
Richard Sussman - Continuum
by Jack Goodstein, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
For those of us unfamiliar with Richard Sussman, a glance at his website gives an insight into his background, but even a cursory listen to the Richard Sussman Quintet's Continuum, his recently released album on Origin, gives an even better indication of his artistry. A pianist and a professor of composition at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, he has worked with his share of A-list musicians, and as a leader has fronted on four... read more
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Convergency
by Troy Dostert, All About Jazz
4-STARS Composer/conductor Dave Slonaker probably won't qualify as "prolific," at least based on recorded output alone, as he spends a lot of his time behind the scenes in film and television work—but one must appreciate the level of craftsmanship that he brings to his big band projects. His debut release, Intrada (Origin Records, 2014), received a well-earned Grammy nomination, and his sophomore effort is no less accomplished, with... read more
Giacomo Gates - Centerpiece
by Tom Ineck, Kansas City Jazz
Giacomo Gates didn't decide to make a career of music until 1990, at age 40, and his debut recording appeared five years later. Since then he has established himself as a member in good standing of the ever-so-exclusive club of male jazz singers.
With "Centerpiece," Gates takes another leap forward, with a wide ranging repertoire demonstrating his many vocal skills and the natural appeal of his deeply resonant baritone instrument.
On... read more
Clarence Penn - Monk: The Lost Files
by Nate Chinen, New York Times
Clarence Penn, like Antonio Sánchez, is a jazz drummer of exuberant poise, and on his own albums, he has addressed music both original and canonical. Monk: The Lost Files (Origin Records), a Thelonious Monk tribute out this week, clearly belongs to the second category. But Mr. Penn, leading a quartet with the saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, the pianist Donald Vega and the bassist Yasushi Nakamura, takes pains to retrofit Monk's tunes... read more
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