Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Greta Matassa - Portrait
by Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
Greta Matassa has never stopped performing extensively or touring with her widely admired quintet, but it has been years since she has made a new recording. The singer's first album since 2011 is a reminder of the rare depth of her musicianship and her ability to fnd the essence of a song. The longtime colleagues with her on Portrait are veterans of the vital Pacific Northwest jazz community. Matassa selects thirteen songs that are among the... read more
Roy Assaf & Eddy Khaimovich Quartet - Andarta
by John Barron, All About Jazz.com
Pianist Roy Assaf and bassist Eddy Khaimovich are true musical soul mates. Much like the legendary partnerships of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams, or Chick Corea and Gary Burton, Assaf and Khaimovich share unique similarities in their approach to playing and composing, perhaps as a result of their shared cultural heritage. On Andarta, the two New York-based, Israeli natives display strong technical skills... read more
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by George Harris, Jazz Weekly
I'm sure you've heard of "Afro-Cuban" music, but here we've got Abate Berihun singing and playing the saxes bringing in "Afro-Levant" sounds, mixing Middle East tones with earthy ideas with Roy Mor/p, David Michaeli/b and Nitzan Brinbarum/dr-perc. Rudi Barinesay adds extra vocals for the modal chant of '"Behatitu Kaedus Kadus" and more traditional, folk toned "Adam (Human)". Berhihun mixes a cantoral chant with passionate tenor work on "Batti"... read more
Jessica Williams - Songs For A New Century
by John Henry, Audiophile Audition
This latest Jessica Williams CD is described as being recorded "direct to disc" which seems to be a similar technique to that employed on some Reference Records piano CDs - eliminating either the analog or digital tape step in the process. This is a quite different album from any of the many which one of the leading female keyboard jazz performs of today has released.
All nine tracks are original by Williams, and they cover a wide range of... read more
Scott Hesse - The Stillness of Motion
by Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation
I have no doubt that jazz listeners in search of total-cool work in trio sessions will love Scott's splendid guitar work (he's joined by Clark Sommers on bass & Makaya McCraven on drums) on this ten-song gem. Tunes like "Blues Sketch" definitely bear out their title... super jazz, to be sure. The beauty of the trio's playing is that there's nothing rushed or forced... it sounds as though they're right there in your living room, playing it all... read more
Scott Hesse - The Stillness of Motion
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Another jazz educator that hasn't let the classroom go to his head, this Chicago string bender sounds like he came from Indianapolis, if you know what I mean. Seamlessly sweet stuff by a cat that gets around but should still get out more, this is some of the best hands jazz guitar can be in. Loaded with chops that never go overboard even when ringing out the most wild lines, this set makes you feel like some CTI stuff just leapt over the... read more
John Bishop - Antwerp
by Russell Perry, WTJU-FM
Drummer John Bishop (Benjamin Boone, Hal Galper, Thomas Marriott) founded Origin Records as a label "run for musicians by musicians", yet rarely does he issue music under his own name. It has been 18 years since Nothing If Not Something in 2005. Of the program of six originals and three covers (by Hal Galper, Carla Bley, Henry Mancini), Dan McClenaghan wrote on AllAbout Jazz, "From the opener, Weijters' rollicking Ruchsichtslos, to Galper's... read more
Chad McCullough - Dark Wood, Dark Water
by Kyle O'Brien, Oregon Jazz Scene
Seattle has produced some really good trumpet talent, and McCullough joins the ranks with his debut release. Aside from being a talented player, McCullough is a composer of some weight. His "Three Pillars" is a journey jazz piece, venturing into an interesting chordal world that gives soloists -- such as himself, bassist Jeff Johnson and alto saxophonist Mark Taylor -- a chance to stretch out and explore the space. His arrangement of... read more
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