Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Chad McCullough Bram Weijters - Urban Nightingale
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Chad McCullough, with one CD under his own name - the outstanding Dark Wood, Dark Water (Origin Records, 2009) - has also contributed his distinctive voice to recordings by the Kora Band and Tunnel Six, all under the Origin Records banners. But the Seattle-based trumpeter must have a European sensibility; his finest work to date has been in teaming, as co-leader, with artists from the other side of the Atlantic - Slovakian pianist Michal... read more
George Colligan - The Endless Mysteries
by John Kelman, All About Jazz
While music fans often think of the artists they love as gifted people whose lives are consumed by the pursuit of their art, all-too-often they ignore equally important, if seemingly more mundane, needs: making a living, perhaps having a family...things to which most people aspire. With music sales on the decline, most musicians pay the rent by touring and, in some cases, teaching, but for those who've failed to achieve greater recognition,... read more
John Adler - Confronting Inertia
by Laurance Vitters, Gramophone Magazine
New music breaking out of the acedemic world and into the nightclub. John Adler may not be a trumpet-playing beauty like Alieen Balsom or Tine Thing Helsch but the music he makes is but just the same. For this recording he and Tracy Cowden play seven new works commissioned for the "Confronting Inertia" project, which features trumpet works in classical forms written by jazz composers influenced now and then by usual suspects such as the... read more
Brittany Anjou - Enamigo Reciprokataj
by Donald Elfman, New York City Jazz Record
For pianist Brittany Anjou's new recording, she uses Esperanto for the title (translated as "Unrequited Love") as a symbol for the international language utilized to create her music.
The not-quite-centerpiece of the recording is the five-part Reciprokataj Suite—not-quite because the sections are 'interrupted' by other originals yet the album feels like a beautifully unified whole. The disc opens with "Starlight", which finds electronic... read more
Giacomo Gates - Centerpiece
by Jim Santella, All About Jazz
His rich baritone voice, accurate musical ear and comfortable seamless phrasing make Giacomo Gates a singer with appeal, and his personal interpretation of lyrics gives his audience a convincing lesson. But there's a special twist to this performance. Gates has been bitten by the hipster bug. His passion for the vocalese of King Pleasure, Eddie Jefferson and Jon Hendricks is woven through each track.
His policy does not take Gates a step... read more
Anthony Branker & Ascent - Dance Music
by David Kane, Cadence
Composer/trumpeter/arranger Branker doesn't actually appear on [Dance Music] but his compositions do and they provide effective showcases for the talents of his band. In this instance, his talent for choosing top quality sidemen equals or surpasses his talent for composition. That's not to knock his writing which is solid and well-crafted in a Modern Mainstream mode (as all the CDs reviewed in this grouping are). As good as the tunes are... read more
Tim Davies Big Band - Dialmentia
by Ken Dryden, All Music
Big-band jazz arrangers are looking to cover new ground while occasionally saluting earlier icons. Drummer Tim Davies contributed the arrangements and seven originals for his debut Origin CD. Davies' writing for the brass and reeds in his setting of Gabriel Faur�'s "Elegy" is first-rate, also showcasing Andrew Shulman's cello, and bass clarinetist Jennifer Hall. His take on the Duke Ellington staple "Caravan" (re-christened as "Caravan... read more
Kiki Valera - Vivencias en Clave Cubana
by Tom McCarter, KZSU - Stanford
Son Cubano is a genre of music and dance originating from the hill country of eastern Cuba during the 19th century. Its origins are a blend of African and Spanish influences. Son vocal style and meter are of Spanish tradition, while its identifiable clave rhythm, call and response, and percussive elements are of Bantu origin. This disc contains> twelve finely crafted original tunes played exquisitely throughout this recording. The innovative... read more
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