Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Bobby Broom - My Shining Hour
by Brent Black, Critical Jazz
My Shining Hour is far more than one more artist taking the easy way out by banging out a selection of tunes from the Great American Songbook. Bobby Broom doesn't play covers, he reinvents and meticulously manipulates melodies to find a new way of looking at some time tested classics. To call some of these selections "eclectic" would be the equivalent of beating the proverbial harmonic dead horse. To call some of these selections... read more
Jeff Johnson - Suitcase
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Bassist Jeff Johnson traveled the United States from the 1970s until 1990. He followed the work during his time of transience, and played an array of styles, from R&B to country, from blues to pop, and jazz. Then he put his suitcase down in Seattle and evolved into something of a house bassist for Origin Records, backing pianists Jessica Williams and Hal Galper, saxophonist Mark Taylor, vocalists Carrie Wicks and Jeff Baker, drummer John Bishop,... read more
Joonsam - A Door
by Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
There's an unconventional dichotomy of sharp orchestration and quirky eccentricity on this debut from bassist Joonsam Lee. But even in this, it's a little different, as A Door is just as likely to flash some fangs as craft a catchy melody aimed at eliciting a smile and spurring the foot into action. That added dose of the unexpected is a big attraction for the recording, and it's why the likelihood of developing a minor addiction... read more
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
Doing an album of Duke Ellington tunes isn't a tough decision, and any number of fine artists have made perfectly lovely Ellington tribute albums. But from the very first track, bassist and arranger Rodney Whitaker makes it clear that while he's operating in a mode of love and reverence for America's greatest jazz composer, he's not going to be a slavish imitator. Leading a crack sextet, he instead puts his personal imprint on every selection,... read more
Richard Sussman - Live at Sweet Rhythm
by C. Michael Bailey, 100 Words On...
Pianist Richard Sussman's 1979 quintet recording Free Fall made quite a splash when re-issued in 2002. Sporting trumpeter Tom Harrell and saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, the disc was a hard bop celebration. Break forward 30 years, this same band unites for a live recording at NYC's Sweet Rhythm in 2003 playing a couple of pieces from the earlier recording as well as Tadd Dameron's "Soultrane" and the standard "What's New." the result is a cross... read more
Clarence Penn - Behind the Voice
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
4-STARS Drummer Clarence Penn, a serious force on the scene for more than three decades, has worked with a who's who of vocalists—Betty Carter, Kandace Springs, Luciana Souza, Kate McGarry, Nellie McKay, Claudia Acuna, Paula Cole, Melissa Walker and Nneena Freelon, to name just a few. He knows more than a thing or two about history and creativity behind the voice, and he's here to show it with this sharply-constructed date. Working... read more
John Bishop - Antwerp
by Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
Two Flemings and an American who form a trio and choose the title 'Antwerp' for their CD. It could give rise to a lot of jokes. Not so in this case. Pianist Bram Weijters, double bassist Piet Verbist and drummer John Bishop deliver a recording bursting with modern jazz with clear links to a familiar jazz past.
The story of this trio starts in 2008 during the famous Banff conference festival and workshops where the American trumpeter Chad... read more
Michael Waldrop - Time Frames
by Jim Lambert, Percussive Notes
This 2021 CD features the music of Michael Waldrop on marimba, vibraphone, and drum set. Additionally, percussionists Gordon Stout, Brad Dutz, Jose Rossy, and Marko Djordjevic are featured on several tracks. In addition to Waldrop as a composer, other composers include Jack Cooper, Nathan Daughtrey, Jonathan Middleton, Stout, and Dutz. This CD reflects the outstanding musicianship of Waldrop on a variety of instruments. The compositions are... read more
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