Origin Records Reviews



Jordan VanHemert - Deep in the Soil
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)

5-STARS Saxophonist Jordan VanHemert has hired an all-star band for his album. This includes the outstanding trumpeter Terell Stafford, the exquisite trombonist Michael Dease and the fantastic rhythm section with Helen Sung, Rodney Whitaker and Lewis Nash. The sextet plays at the highest level and adds highlights to the eight compositions. The first track, Sharel Cassity's "Call to Order" with rousing solos from trumpet, piano, alto... read more

William Thomas - Notes From A Drummer
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide

As with many of the artists on Seattle's Origin label, William Thomas is an excellent jazz drummer. Here on his debut as a leader, the Portland native spends an hour of quality time with his set, but more important to the album is the time he spent with his score sheets. The feature here is the quality of composition that he's been able to put together a number of times, culminating in a series of quite worthwhile numbers. As is not necessarily... read more

Scott Reeves - Portraits and Places
by Chris Spector, Midwest Review

A flugelhorn player that has earned his spurs as an arranger and conductor while laboring in the vineyards for a long time for cats as disparate as Dave Liebman and Bob Brookmeyer, he knows his jazz and thanks those long gone for the music that inspired him as well as those still around that taught him. Not nearly a kid and playing like an adult, this is sitting down big band listening music that'll have you bobbing your head and tapping your... 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

Dan Cray - Meridies
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

Change is never easy, but it's often the key to growing as a person and an artist. Pianist Dan Cray has released a series of well-received CDs and carved out a comfortable musical existence with his trio in Chicago, but he understood that a change of scenery and a jump into jazz's deep end would do him good.

Cray made the move to New York City in 2009, but Meridies is the first outing released under his name since that time. He stayed busy... read more

Chris Walden Big Band - No Bounds
by John Gilbert, ejazznews

This is a fine big band with the likes of Carl Saunders and Kim Richmond on it and any band with these strong players has a lot to say.

"When You Wish Upon A Star" features Kim Richmond's muscular alto solo which makes this star shine in all its glory, no need to wish upon it.


"People Will Say We're In Love".....Tierney Sutton's sibilance slips swiftly sliding into this tune soon after the vocal starts with a bit of nasal quality added... read more

Clay Giberson - Minga Minga
by Hobart Taylor, KUCI, Irvine, CA

Keith Jarrett has tuned my ears to the ephemeral joys solo piano explorations. Bill Evans tuned them as well. With such high standards it is hard to hear those who don't quite get "there" (aka George Winston). Giberson gets there. He intermingles traditions, emotions, and even time signatures gracefully and seamlessly.... read more

Benjamin Boone | Philip Levine - The Poetry of Jazz
by Robert Rusch, Cadence

BENJAMIN BOONE [as/ss] and PHILIP LEVINE [poetry/voice]: THE POETRY OF JAZZ is a terrific CD of jazz and text with tributes to Rollins, Clifford Brown, Coltrane and Bird. 11 of the 14 compositions are by
Boone and a pool of 7 musicians make up the backing on tunes. In addition, Chris Potter [ts], Tom Harrell [tpt], Branford Marsalis [ts], and Greg Osby [as] make guest appearances on one track each. Levine [1928-2015] was a former United States... read more

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