Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Tim Horner - The Head of the Circle
by Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
Every year, there are a handful of outstanding albums that offer up brilliant melodies that reveal, one after the other, like massive fireworks at a celebration. The kind of thing that lets the ear immerse itself in the current song while anxiously wondering what the next might bring-- and when it finally arrives, experiencing no less surprise at its strength or vibrancy, even when taking into account the album's impressive track... read more
Alison Ruble - This Is A Bird
by Michael Bonnard, CD Hotlist: Baker & Taylor
A surprising debut! Ruble sounds like a well-seasoned performer with a voice that is uncannily happy and mournful at the same time. She covers standard Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, and Rodgers/Hammerstein material as well as James Taylor. A versatile performer with a great band behind her. Hope for more in the future. Highly recommended.... read more
Mike Pope - The Parts You Keep
by Bman, Bman's Blues Report
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Parts You Keep, from Mike Pope, and I really enjoy it. Opening with Misgivings, a lively track with a driving piano melody featuring Geoffrey Keezer, building with an aggressive snare rap by Nate Smith and breaking into a sensual bass solo by Mike Pope who builds the track with the hands of a sculptor. Very nice. I love the cover of Charlie Parker's Steeplechase featuring Roxy... read more
Laurie Antonioli - Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light
by Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times
As is common knowledge among even casual Joni Mitchell fans, around the mid-1970s her passion for jazz became increasingly integral to her work; that passion escalated through the '80s and included collaborations with Mingus, Jaco, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. So, at first blush, it seems odd that as jazz-savvy a vocalist as Laurie Antonioli would build a Mitchell salute exclusively around songs that pre-date Joni's jazz musicians.
In... read more
Various Artists - The Cool Season: An Origin Records Holiday Collection, Vol. 2
by Andrea Canter, www.jazzpolice.com
One of the most prolific indie labels of recent years, Origin Records has helped raise awareness of the considerable jazz talents in the Northwest. The basis of their success is readily apparent on this collection of holiday standards and original compositions from a quartet of Seattle-area jazzers lead by rising trumpet star Thomas Marriott. Winner of the 1999 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition, Marriott joined the Maynard... read more
John Stowell - Solitary Tales
by Brian Whistler, Audiophile Audition
That Stowell has never stopped growing is amply apparent on this latest release.
John Stowell is an Oregon-based jazz guitarist who has been on the scene since the mid 1970s. I first encountered his music while he was touring the west coast back in the 70s in a duo with bassist Dave Friesen. Freisen's visceral, earthy approach to the bass was the perfect counterpoint to Stowell's heady jazz conceptions, which together produced a... read more
Jeff Johnson - Tall Stranger
by Larry Cosentino, Signal To Noise
It's rare to experience music that seems to strive toward complete immobility. Jeff Johnson's "Tall Stranger" has a staggering, strung-out pace that may drive some people crazy, but will surely delight others who resist our world's accelerating rate of input. All three legs of this trio (Johnson on bass, plus reedman Has Teuber and drummer Billy Mintz) have tireless storytelling chops. Johnson drawls out his solos like a grizzled... read more
Lucas Pino - No Net Nonet
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence
The album is by a sharp, sax-heavy nine piece group very much in the mainstream jazz line. The faster pieces are prickly and kinetic but the slower ones, like "Sunday Play" which features a gorgeous tenor solo by leader Pino and thoughtful bass by Desmond White, tend to have the most personality. Pino's deep-souled soloing is consistently smart and spirited while guitarist Rafal Sarnecki gets a nice turn on the placid "Homage A 'Mitch" and Mat... read more
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