Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
New Stories - Hope is in the Air
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
The Seattle-based trio New Stories - with a little help from some friends, and under the producer's baton of trumpeter Don Sickler - has crafted a first rate document to the undersung bop composer/pianist Elmo Hope on Hope is in the Air.
Elmo Hope, back in bop's early days, hung with piano legends Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. According to Nellie Monk, he was Thelonious's favorite contemporary composer, though the sound presented here,... 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
Geof Bradfield - melba!
by Martin Z. Kasdan Jr., LEO Weekly, Louisville
Saxophonist/composer Geof Bradfield enlisted his longtime employer, pianist Ryan Cohan, to play in his suite honoring Melba Liston. She was one of the first African-American women to make her name as a jazz instrumentalist (trombone) and arranger, associated over four decades with pianist Randy Weston, among many other projects. (Weston himself rightly praises Bradfield's work.) Bradfield tells Liston's story in musical movements,... read more
Jack Mouse - Range of Motion
by Carol Banks Weber, Examiner.com
When the pushy melodic canyon of "LaPorta" comes on, it's hard to believe this isn't a cover of some famous post-bop groove artist many decades before. Then, you read on the back of Jack Mouse's debut album, Range Of Motion on Origin Records, that he composed and arranged all 10 tracks. Even more astounding.
The drummer's probably picked up a lot of tricks in his illustrious career backing names like Clark Terry, Bill Evans, Stan... read more
Les DeMerle Sound 67 - Once in a Lifetime
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The esteemed drummer Les DeMerle laid down this album with his band, Sound 67, way back in 1967, and here it's finally released after being lost in the shuffle at Atlantic Records.
"Come Back To Me" starts the listen with DeMerle's drumming acrobatics alongside Randy Brecker's bright trumpet and Danny Sandridge's swift keys, and "Feelin' Good" follows with Alan Gauvin's soulful sax complementing the dynamic rhythm section that embraces Terry... read more
Hal Galper - E Pluribus Unum - Live in Seattle
by Ken Dryden, New York City Jazz Record
Hal Galper has long been a part of the jazz scene, having recorded extensively as a leader over the past four decades and appearing on sessions by Sam Rivers, Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Lee Konitz and Chet Baker, among others. Galper began with classical piano studies at an early age, spent time at Berklee and absorbed much from several Boston-based artists before leaving for New York City. Galper began leading his own groups in the ?70s.... read more
Jeff Johnson - Free
by Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
Recorded live at the Old Town Ale House in Seattle, WA, Jeff Johnson and his cohorts have fashioned almost an hour's worth of artistic modern music expertly played by these Northwest jazz artists. The play list is well crafted and balanced with four originals by the trio and one each of a jazz and a classic standard. This CD is a set of six cerebral, intense performances that require a commitment on the part of the listener matching that of the... read more
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Where the Light Falls
by Martin Z. Kasdan Jr., Louisville Music News
David Friesen's working trio, with pianist Greg Goebel and drummer Charlie Doggett, has released a 2-disc live set, with guest guitarist Larry Koonse on nine of the nineteen tracks. The trio tracks are from a 2013 set in Germany and a 2014 set in Portland, OR, with Koonse added for a 2013 date in Tempe, AZ. On disc, the songs switch back and forth between trio and quartet; all are composed by the leader. Opening the first disc is the bright and... read more
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