Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Chuck Deardorf - Transparence
by Pierre Giroux, Audiophile Audition
Some interesting contrasts and top-notch playing.
The latest CD issued by Seattle resident bassist Chuck Deardorf, entitled "Transparence", is a bit of a mash-up but in a good way. Bringing together a number of dependable musicians from the North West, along with several high profile visitors, these sides were recorded between 2007 and 2010 and present Deardorf and friends in a variety of settings and musical styles.
Given the... read more
Inbar Fridman - Time Quartet Project
by Esther Berlanga-Ryan, Something Else!
Beautiful things happen when the heart is fully invested in everything you do, and one of the best examples I can think of is that which we see happen in music and in Jazz time and again. A publicist I know out of Israel sent me an email one day about this female guitarist whom I had never heard of, asked me if I wanted for her to send me the CD, and I said yes; the rest pretty much happened without rhyme or reason, which is how anybody should... read more
Chad McCullough - Dark Wood, Dark Water
by Kurt Zemaitaitis, International Trumpet Guild, January 2011
Dark Wood, Dark Water is the first release for Seattle-based trumpet/composer Chad McCulough. The liner notes contain brief descriptionsw of all the compositions, seven of which are penned by McCullough. His sound is sweet and mellow, and he performs his flowing improvisations in a neat linear fashion making his more complex ideas sound easy and simple. Most of the selections for this talented sextet have a laid-back feel that has touches... read more
Shawn Purcell - 180
by C. Michael Bailey, Wild Mercury Rhythm
Dr. Shawn Purcell, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a jazz guitarist, educator, arranger, and composer living in the Washington DC region. Purcell earned a BS from Duquesne University, an MA in Music from Middle Tennessee State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He managed to do this after a career in the US Air force where he performed with a number of... read more
Alex Graham - Brand New
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Alto sax player Alex Graham's album Brand New attempts to live up to its own title largely by reworking classic pieces (and a few less-common items in the jazz world) into a new form for an interesting sextet combination. The album opens with a piece from the Stylistics that is just this side of recognizable. An original blues club number from Graham follows, as well as a couple of interesting arrangements of old songbook classics. An Isley... read more
Todd Bishop - Little Played Little Bird
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
Okay, along with a lot of you, I haven't explored the music of Ornette Coleman to the extent that I probably should have. I've "always" admired "Lonely Woman," and as Bishop explains, on a disc of Coleman tunes that nobody ever does, "Lonely Woman" is the exception because, he writes, "I've been playing it for 20 years and it deserves to be here." Bishop's quintet includes two reedmen, Richard Cole and Tim Willcox, who join forces... read more
Chris Walden Big Band & The St. John's Choir - Kurt Marti Suite
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz.com
It's hard to wrap one's arms around this CD by composer/arranger Chris Walden. On the one hand, Walden has coupled his intrepid ensemble of talented southern California sidemen with the 100-member St. John's Choir from Hamburg, Germany (his hometown), to set to music works by the renowned Swiss poet/lyricist Kurt Marti. On the other, the playing time is only 36:55?less than half a disc's worth?and that includes a five-minutes-plus "bonus" track,... read more
Hal Galper Trio - The Zone: Live at the Yardbird Suite
by Suzanne Lorge, DownBeat
4-STARS When pianist Hal Galper first heard the live recording that became The Zone: Live At The Yardbird Suite, he didn't recognize his own playing. On that November 2016 gig—at the eponymous club in Edmonton, Canada—"the music came from some place deeper," Galper wrote in the album's liner notes. The bandleader, who's a long way from his 1970s electrified workouts on the Mainstream imprint, called that place "the zone," where the... 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