Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Cathy Segal-Garcia - SOCIAL ANTHEMS, VOLUME 1
by Troy Dostert, All About Jazz
Proving there is still some life in the spirit of '60s activism—and even in the decades beyond it—vocalist Cathy Segal-Garcia gives us six tracks which meld jazz, folk and pop idioms in a way which sounds both classic and contemporary. Drawing on the talents of a fine band and a couple of intriguing guest vocalists, Segal-Garcia delivers these tunes with confidence and a winsome disposition.
Aside from the self-penned "What Are We Gonna... read more
Gwendolyn Dease - Beguiled
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
4-STARS While this fourth album from marimbist Gwendolyn Dease is rightly seeing release on the classical arm of Origin Records, it wouldn't have been completely out of place if it had landed on the jazz side of that imprint. Dease bypasses contemporary marimba fare and late twentieth century favorites from the usual suspects like Ney Rosauro, Casey Cangelosi, Joseph Schwanter, Keiko Abe, and Jacob Druckman, focusing instead on newly... read more
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by Mark S Tucker, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
Luckily, I'd received Jack Mouse's "Range of Motion" at the same time I got Rich Thompson's "Less is More" and stacked them together in my slush pile. Reviewing the two, one right after the other, afforded a sharp contrast in drumming styles even though the two have played in much the same genre of ensembles as they now solo in smaller format CD releases. Mouse is an ambient sort of cat who creates environments for the rest of the band to... read more
Delia Fischer - Delia Fischer: Beyond Bossa
by Allen Morrison, Liner Notes
In 2019, after I'd been writing for DownBeat Magazine for about a decade, I was asked to review a batch of new albums from Brazil, including one by a Rio de Janeiro-based singer named Delia Fischer who wrote her own songs. I gathered that, in addition, she was a jazz pianist, an arranger, and the musical director for several hit musicals in Rio. She had worked with Brazilian legends like Marcos Valle, Egberto Gismonti, and Milton Nascimento, who... read more
Trio East - Best Bets
by Terry O'Mahoney, Percussive Notes
New York-based Trio East includes Eastman School of Music faculty members Clay Jenkins (trumpet), Jeff Campbell (bass) and Rich Thompson (drums). This unconventional jazz trio configuration challenges the myth that one needs a chordal instrument to complete an ensemble. Their skillful and melodic soloing, intuitive interaction, and compositional prowess more than compensate for the lack of a piano or guitar.
The nine tunes on the recording... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - Full-On!
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
If Chris Walden is unfamiliar, you've some catching up to do. He mostly creates musical settings for major stars such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Buble, Diana Krall and Neil Young - as he puts it, "That's where the money is" - but his real joy is big band jazz. This is his newest release in that genre.
Walden was born in Hamburg, Germany, apparently emerging from the womb as a fully formed musician. He was playing the recorder at age 5, the... read more
Amit Friedman - Sunrise
by Editorial staff, Third Ear - Israel
BEST OF 2012
It was worth waiting for saxophonist Amit Friedman's debut album. The straightforward joie de vivre in his music carries you away, and puts a smile on even the most cynical face. The Israeli sound is familiar and close to home, inviting you in only to discover some surprising facets of the Israeli jazzman. Amit juggles sophistication and coolness and gives you a feeling of a family celebration, with the help of the... read more
Bobby Broom - Upper West Side Story
by Jon Ross, Downbeat Magazine
**** 4-Stars
Starting with the very first notes of "D's Blues"--a languid but powerful riff atop busy drums and droning bass--Bobby Broom bleeds simple, unadulterated blues from his guitar. He keeps it up, with a quiet intensity, for the rest of Upper West Side Story.
His use of clean, pure guitar sound gives his chords a bit of jangle, which provides an added depth to his comping and his chordal solos. He's not an... read more
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