Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Hadley Caliman - Straight Ahead
by Alan Chase, The Wire
Seattle-based saxophonist Hadley Caliman, recently reemerged after close to 30 years in obscurity, with his latest Straight Ahead on Origin Records. Back in the 1970s, Caliman was the saxophonist of choice for artists ranging from Santana to McCoy Tyner. As the title of this CD implies, this is a straight-up, no-holds-barred, hard bop-oriented session in the vein of classic Blue Note recordings by Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan and Caliman's... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - Full-On!
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
It's been a while since the jazz world has seen a release from this group. The first three albums credited to the Chris Walden Big Band - the Grammy-nominated Home Of My Heart (Origin Records, 2005), No Bounds (Origin Records, 2006), and Kurt Marti Suite (Origin Records, 2007) - came in quick succession. And then there was silence from Walden. Well, that's not exactly true. Walden's actually been quite busy in the... read more
Roxy Coss - Restless Idealism
by Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
Of course, when it comes to joyful and powerful swing, it's hard to beat composer and saxophonist Roxy Coss, whose second album is an all-original sextet session and a pleasure from start to finish. She blows out of the starting gate with the straight-ahead bop number "Don't Cross the Coss" (a wry reference to the way in which people tend to get her last name wrong), then settles into midtempo with the harmonically craggy "Waiting," then gets... read more
Hal Galper - E Pluribus Unum - Live in Seattle
by Marc Van de Walle, Jazzmozaïek - Belgium
This live recording from Seattle in 2009 shows Galper at his best. With a lot of energy and a certain theatricality (in the positive sense of the word, Galper is not an exhibitionist), his four original compositions set high demands on the group, but they follow and support the pianist perfectly. Even more: they add value. Their solos fit seamlessly into the energetic, passionate style Galper owns. On the album you will find also three standards... read more
Thomas Marriott - Urban Folklore
by Stefano Merighi, All About Jazz - Italia
The quartet of Thomas Marriott in question is a beautiful synthesis of American jazz: Marriott Seattle, Eric Revis Californian, Orrin Evans heir to the school of Philadelphia, finally Donald Edwards from New Orleans. But the sources do not affect that much an ecumenical music, which lives on technical brilliance, on an "esperanto" if little jazz has to say again, confirms a wisdom and a listening pleasure beyond doubt.
Thomas Marriott lived... read more
Jared Hall - Influences
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
This album by trumpeter Jared Hall is a fun one in that you get to guess by the tone and styles (not to mention the titles) of each song which fellow horn man he's giving tribute to. Along with Tal Cohen/p, Michael Glynn/b and John Bishop/p, he composes pieces with a tip of the cap to artists like Brian Lynch ("Professor B.L.) and Wallace Roney ("One For Wallace") with ideas of blue and lyricism respectively. The clever stop start of "Song For... read more
Various Artists - Modern Jazz: A Collection of Seattle's Finest Jazz
by Bill White, Seattle PI
With a respite from the harsh weather that had tied up the city earlier in the week, Ballard Avenue was alive Thursday night with the festive laughter of bar-hopping crowds sampling some of Seattle's finest jazz.
The snow and ice had melted, the winds had stopped, and the sky was clear. The eight venues participating in the Ballard Jazz Walk were comfortably full. Traffic moved in and out steadily, and there was always a free chair to be... read more
Ray LeVier - Ray's Way
by Jan P. Dennis, Audiophile Audition
If you want to make a splash with your debut jazz disc, you could hardly do better than to follow the lead of drummer Ray Levier. First, he's assembled a powerhouse band featuring some of the best jazzers out there who play their butts off. Second, his disc features some very strong compositions from his bandmates, who are all fine composers themselves, a couple attractive self-penned tunes, and one intriguing standard (Oscar Pettiford's "Blues... read more
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