Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Dan Cray - Meridies
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
Change is never easy, but it's often the key to growing as a person and an artist. Pianist Dan Cray has released a series of well-received CDs and carved out a comfortable musical existence with his trio in Chicago, but he understood that a change of scenery and a jump into jazz's deep end would do him good.
Cray made the move to New York City in 2009, but Meridies is the first outing released under his name since that time. He stayed busy... read more
Western Jazz Collective - Dark Journey: The Music of Andrew Rathbun
by George Kanzler, THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD
If jazz is "the sound of surprise," then the septet (sometimes octet with guest percussion on some tracks) Western Jazz collective definitely delivers. Dark Journey (The Music of Andrew Rathbun) features multireed player Rathbun's kaleidoscopic compositions, works far from the conventional 32-bar or 12-bar tunes that dominate the jazz canon. his pieces unspool like skeins of multi-colored and textured threads that weave complex forms. Many of... read more
David Friesen with Orchestra and Quartet - Testimony
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Like a European jazzbo that just burnishes deeper with age, Friesen tucks 50 years of bass acery under his belt and heads off to Ukraine to visit his ancestor's stomping ground. Of course, along the way, he hooks up with some Ukraine musos and delivers the kind of state of the art performance that defies almost everything. A highly creative instrumental work, he takes it to places heretofore unexpected and delivers a tour de force that could... read more
Jeff Johnson - Free
by Dave McElfresh, JazzNow
In spite of the printed lineup info, this certainly doesn't feel like an effort by only three players. Check out the thick interactions between Johnson's bass and Teuber's saxophone on some of the cuts and see if your head doesn't register the heady dialogues as being the work of more than four arms.
Johnson's a shadow boxer who doesn't support a soloist as much as he challenges him. No wonder he's played with the likes of Chet Baker, Julian... read more
Shawn Purcell - Oblivity
by Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
Guitarist Shawn Purcell can always be counted on to create stimulating and inventive music. In his career he worked with the U.S. Air Force's Airmen Of Note for 8 years, was with the US Navy Band Commodores jazz ensemble, and has appeared on over 30 recordings. Oblivity is his third album as a leader, following 2019's Symmetricity and 2022's 180.
For this set, Purcell debuts ten of his originals, performing with the masterful... read more
Collier & Dean - Sleek Buick
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Wouldn't you like to be able to say Don Grusin, Alex Acuna and Ernie Watts were your old pals? Wouldn't you like to have Allen Vizzutti and Gary Herbig in your Rolodex? This vibe/bass duo who've been at it for 40 years, since they were teens, can and does. Hip, creative but still accessible, everybody here is playing like they are having a good time and by all bets, it seems like the spirit should be infectious. The vibe goes back to the... read more
Kevin Deitz - Skylines
by Damian Erskine, Bass Musician Magazine
Portland's very own Kevin Deitz really shines here with the release of Skylines. Kevin has had a wealth of experience playing bass everywhere from touring Broadway productions to the stage with the likes of Mose allison, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Sheena Easton and everyone in between. Equally at home on upright as he is on his 7-string Conklin, Kevin showcases his abilities on both instruments with musicality, style and grace with Skylines.... read more
Mimi Fox - Standards, Old & New
by Alex Zaglin, Times Square Magazine
Mimi Fox: A Real Guitar Hero
Mimi Fox was something of a child prodigy, and her fascination for guitar has carried on through her adult life. She began not just playing, but also teaching guitar before she hit her teenage years. Fox is a New York City native, but she has called the Bay Area home for many years. She loves to come back to play here regularly, and now, she is coming to the Iridium and promoting her album Standards,... read more
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