Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Jessica Williams - Touch
by Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
It would have been difficult to imagine that Williams might exceed what she achieved in her 2009 solo concert recording The Art of the Piano. Yet, less than a year later she returned to Seattle's Triple Door and gave this recital glowing with her customary pianistic dazzle and a nearly Brahmsian gravity leavened with wit. The album's title implies more than the exquisite way she addresses the instrument's keyboard and pedals?the pianist's... read more
Peter Lerner - Continuation
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Nothing unflattering can be said about Chicago-born and -based guitarist Peter Lerner's latest album, Continuation. The energy level is high, the charts admirable, the supporting cast exemplary. On the other hand, it would be hard to separate the enterprise from a veritable sea of rivals that dwell in a comparable groove. As there is nothing explicit with which to censure this earnest studio session, neither is there anything special to... read more
Scenes - Destinations
by Chris Lunn, Ancient Victorys
Stowell and Scenes have five other releases on Origin, and they just get tighter as they work off the deep understanding of each other's creative process. Jeff Johnson is one of the most sensitive bassists around with an incredible understanding of lyricism and moving inside the psyche. Bishop, in addition to being one of the head honchos for Origin, appears on dozens of recordings and is an immaculate, sensitive percussionist who can read and... read more
Shawn Purcell - Oblivity
by Pete Prown, Vintage Guitar Magazine
With burnin' bop, ballad, and fusion, this album crackles with life - and superb musicianship. Purcell threads the needle well, staying traditional but also pushing jazz boundaries with guitar effects and synth sounds ("Quiet the Chaos"). "Verdigris" is straight-ahead bop with complex guitar phrases that are spellbinding, while "Gentle Giant" offers a slow ballad with Shawn's melodic and masterful... 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
Ben Thomas Tango Project - Eternal Aporia
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
They say it takes two to tango. On Ben Thomas' new album, Eternal Aporia ("uncertainty; doubt"), it takes at least three, and sometimes half a dozen. That's not a bad thing, as Thomas' splendid core trio is fleshed out on three numbers by cellist Gretchen Vanover and on two others by Vanover, violinist Brandon Vance and pianist Jonathan Greer, making the tango more lustrous and enchanting than ever. Thomas himself plays vibraphone, bandoneon and... read more
John Stowell / Michael Zilber - Basement Blues
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Basement Blues is the third Origin Records CD offering from the John Stowell/Michael Zilber Quartet, following Shot Through With Beauty (2009) and Live Beauty, (2013). Guitarist Stowell's approach is distinctive - silvery chords and pinprick single notes that reverberate from the rafters. Saxophonist Zilber is a flawless, soulful technician on soprano and tenor saxophones. Bassist John Shifflett and drummer Jason Lewis are perfection in the... read more
Chad McCullough & Bram Weijters - Imaginary Sketches
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
Seattle's Origin Records has become known as a label specializing in original music. Sometimes the concept falls flat, but frequently it works quite well. Almost all the tunes here are by members of the quartet. What it ultimately seems to come down to is that McCullough is a scintillating player and an authoritative presence on trumpet and flugelhorn. His colleagues - Bram Weijters, piano; Chuck Deardorf, bass; and John Bishop, drums - provide... read more
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