Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Dan Cray - Outside In
by Chris Spector, Midwest Review
Piano jazz inspired by a year of hanging out in Big Sur and it's environs, it's no wonder all those 50s jazzbos liked hanging around San Francisco. Playing with a wide openness that's new to his artillery, Cray's added colors and textures bring his New York vibe somewhere else indeed. Tasty, laid back sitting down jazz, Cray is on a roll. Well... read more
Chuck Deardorf - Transparence
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
A veteran of countless recording dates, Deardord has been a Rock of Gibralter on the Seattle jazz map for decades. On this intriguing recording, he "mixes and matches" various tunes with different combinations of piano, guitar, drums, tenor and alto sax, percussionists and other participants. A few of the best known names, none of which appear on all tunes, are Bill Mays, piano, Bruce Forman, guitar, and Gary Hobbs, drums. Mays is always a... read more
Bobby Broom - Bobby Broom Plays for Monk
by Stuart Broomer, All About Jazz.com
There's something almost contradictory about Monk compositions: they're insistently individualistic, built on odd chord changes with often minimalist melodies. But as idiosyncratic as they are, they often succeed in bringing out what's best in the musicians playing them, as if those tunes are open to individuality as well as being the product of it. Through the years musicians of wildly divergent styles have approached Monk's music: the piquant... read more
Matt Otto - Red
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Saxophonist Matt Otto is Los Angeles-based these days, but for his fifth CD, Red, he got together with some musical running mates from his time in New York: guitarist Greg Toughy, drummer Qasim Naqvi, and bassist Danton Boller. Considering its standard jazz lineup of tenor sax and a rhythm section, the band has crafted quite an original sound.
The set of eight Otto orignals sustains a hauntingly restrained mood from start to finish, churning... read more
Jessica Williams - Touch
by Mike Shanley, JazzTimes
Touch marks the second time Williams has recorded live at Seattle's Triple Door, and the intimacy shows up in strong reworkings of classics and her own thoughtful compositions. "I Loves You Porgy" feels gentle and romantic but not saccharine. The intro to "I Cover the Waterfront" sounds like Art Tatum channeling Thelonious Monk. Her left hand takes the spotlight in the lower register later in the tune, and Williams adds some... read more
Paul Marinaro - Mood Ellington
by Tony Zambito, Jazz Buffalo (NY)
Every once in a while, a jazz recording arrives that reminds us what this music is really about — emotion, storytelling, and the simple, human joy of hearing a great song delivered with sincerity. Paul Marinaro's Mood Ellington is exactly that kind of project. Though widely celebrated as a Chicago vocalist, Marinaro is a native of Buffalo, NY, and you can hear that grounding in every phrase. His approach is warm, unpretentious, and deeply... read more
Bill Anschell - Figments
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Pianist Bill Anschell normally involves himself in projects that shine with a high polish, recordings like the Wellstone Conspiracy's collaborative Motives (Origin, 2010) and his own More to the Ear than Meets the Eye (Origin, 2006), or in the sideman slot on the marvelous Reunion, led by saxophonists Pete Christlieb and Hadley Caliman. In addition, Anschell served as Nnenna Freelon's pianist/arranger/musical director for a number of years,... read more
Dmitri Matheny - Cascadia
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
An incredibly lyrical player, Matheny and his flugelhorn guide a crew of Seattle pals through a set of grace and dignity that seems almost classical in it's elegance. A real jazzbo that understands the purely instrumental side of things as well, this is the kind of enchanting recording that was made for... read more
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