Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Geof Bradfield - melba!
by Neil Tesser, Chicago Music
Geof Bradfield has drawn plenty of praise for his work as a reed soloist, and it's all deserved; on tenor and soprano saxes, plus bass clarinet and flute, his muscular, choate solos unfurl with a torrent of detail, even as he sketches the bigger picture. Surrounded by like-minded virtuosi -- as will be the case Saturday, when he plays the Green Mill with an all-star septet starring trumpeter Victor Garcia and guitarist Jeff Parker -- pretty... read more
Chad McCullough Bram Weijters - Urban Nightingale
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
The Seattle/Antwerp connection shows us the corner where cerebral meets moving easy for a Friday, after hours session where having a drink and chilling out beats fighting traffic. More than background music and not nearly as artsy as it might seem when you aren't listening too closely, this crew brings some different sensibilities to the stew that simmer nicely together. Fun stuff to kick back with.... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - Full-On!
by Paula Edelstein, AXS
When Chris Walden is not busy creating orchestral settings for major pop stars like Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Michael Buble, Smokey Robinson or Diana Krall, the prolific composer/arranger/conductor focuses on his first love, swinging big band jazz music. With Full-On!, (Origin, 82669), Walden's fifth recording as a leader, the Los Angeles-based multiple award-winning virtuoso presents an irrepressibly swing outing that showcases 5 new... read more
Jordan VanHemert - Survival of the Fittest
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Although the title of saxophonist Jordan VanHemert's fifth album, Survival of the Fittest, may elicit images of a crash course in self-defense, that is not at all what he had in mind. The music is thematic, he says, and represents the twin lodestars of adversity and resilience. Even that, however, becomes largely irrelevant once VanHemert and his supporting cast launch what is at its heart a narrative of contemporary post-bop... read more
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by Charles L. Latimer, I Dig Jazz
If you attend a Rodney Whitaker concert, bank on getting a history lesson on whatever jazz music the bassist's group performs, and as a bonus some comic relief. For 25 years, he's taught jazz at Michigan State University. No surprise, he uses the bandstand to educate audiences, and his kidding them before introducing tunes is a piece of his musical personality. He's quick to jokingly warn an audience of his plans to pursue standup comedy when... read more
Tim Jensen - A Mind For The Scenery
by Tom Ineck, Berman Music Review
Like much of the bountiful fruit harvested at Origin Records in Portland, Ore., Tim Jensen's "A Mind for the Scenery" challenges the listener from the get-go.
Jensen is a composer and reed player of eclectic tastes, versatility, technique and audacious creativity. He also is an arranger and a bandleader who knows how to surround himself with like-minded musicians capable of equal audacity. Take for example the opener, "Sausage," a squiggly... read more
Hal Galper Trio - Airegin Revisited
by Dave Sumner, emusic Review
Listening to the Hal Galper Trio perform is like watching fireflies? they?re a swarm of activity as they bounce off one another and flit through the air, but ostensibly pretty as they light up the night. Galper has his own sound. It?s not dramatically different from the pack, but its singular to him, and its never boring, even when it flirts with a straight-ahead modern approach. Joining him are pros Jeff Johnson on bass and John Bishop on... read more
Naama Liany - Daydream
by Arts Editor, City Magazine (Luxembourg)
Young mezzo-soprano Naama Liany is one of the most promising voices of her generation. Her story crosses continents. Backed by the Luxembourg Philharmonie and with a grant from the Ministry of Culture, Kultur | lx and the BIL Fondation Independance, the artist has just released her first album entitled Daydream, featuring a selection of works by Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Frederico Mompou, and prolific Bulgarian-born Luxembourg composer... read more
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