Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Hal Galper / Jeff Johnson / John Bishop - Furious Rubato
by Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes, June 2007
I thought I knew something about Hal Galper. I did not know Hal Galper at all. Hal Galper has evolved.
In the liner notes he says that he has become fascinated with rubato-bending and shaping tempo to enhance expression. He has been practicing "sporadically at ... unpredictable times of the day or night" for six years, exploring this concept. Often, for artists, specific devices are less important in themselves than as paths to new... read more
Sam Yahel - From Sun to Sun
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
Sam Yahel Trio
The Village Vanguard
New York, NY
July 17, 2011
The world has changed in numerous and startling ways since pianist Bill Evans recorded Sunday At The Village Vanguard (Riverside, 1961) a half century ago, but two things remain as consistent as the rising and setting of the sun: The Village Vanguard still presents the best that jazz has to offer, and boundary-pushing piano trios are still an important part of the mix that they... read more
Mark Colby - Reflections
by George Kanzler, JazzTimes
Stan Getz is tenor saxophonist Mark Colby's stylistic model, and on previous recordings his debt to Getz has been obvious. It's not a bad model - everyone doesn't have to sound like Coltrane - especially when you, like Colby, have a strong lyrical bent and can inhabit a ballad like Johnny Mandel's "Close Enough for Love" or Cole Porter's "So in Love" as convincingly as Colby does here. But he also tries to change things up a bit, so the... read more
Various Artists - The Cool Season: An Origin Records Holiday Collection, Vol. 2
by David Dupont, Cadence
The Cool Season: Origins Records Holiday Collection, Vol. 2 sounds like a label sampler, but is rather the work of one quartet. Volume 1 (12/03) was a fine effort with distinctive arrangements of some lesser-known carols paired with swinging versions of holiday standards. The one drawback of that session was the way the two were mixed, creating some incongruous juxtapositions. This session avoids that problem.
With bassist Jeff Johnson and... read more
Anthony Branker & Other Ways of Knowing - Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
4-STARS At the time of this writing (early 2026), the United States is beset by an odious president, a racist sociopath who seems hellbent on erasing all references to achievement or success of anyone of African descent—leaving aside that we are all of African descent; but some made the relocation to North America involuntarily.
Stubborn resistance and unvarnished artistic statement—shoulders pulled back, chins jutting... read more
Jordan VanHemert - Survival of the Fittest
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Tenor saxist Jordan VanHemert mixes and matches his rhythm team of Helen Sung/p, Rodney Whitaker/b and Lewis Nash/dr with a brass secion of Terell Stafford/tp-fh and Michael Dease/tb in various musical portraits. VanHemert's tone is a complete joy, rich and full of texture while relaxed and bel canto. Unsurprisingly the most endearing tunes are the collection of duets, as he goes mano a mano with Nash on the feisty "Softly As In A Morning... read more
David Weiss Sextet - Auteur
by Icrom Bigrad, Jazz Sensibilities
David Weiss' Auteur, the latest release with his sextet, hits with the force of a well-honed ensemble ten years in the making. This album, crafted by musicians rooted in the evolution of modern jazz, highlights Weiss' original composition and an ensemble that speaks in a language of the jazz lineage. The seven-track collection, released on September 20, 2024, through Origin, shines with Weiss' signature blend of unrecorded historical gems and... read more
Anthony Branker - Beauty Within
by Richard B. Kamins, Step Tempest
I have been wanting to talk to composer and educator Anthony Branker since 2013 and the release of "Uppity", an album that addressed racism, religion, and hope. Credited to "Word Play" and released on the Origin label, the music included "Ballad for Trayvon Martin", "Dance Like No One is Watching", "Across the Divide", "Let's Conversate" and the title track. At the time, I was teaching a course that dealt with music as social... read more
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