Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Marius Nordal - Notoriety
by Jason West, Earshot Jazz
Oscar Peterson used to advise his students not to be afraid of the piano. Somehow, I don’t think it was piano they feared.
Listening to Marius Nordal’s "Notoriety" can be just as intimidating. Nordal’s technical mastery of the piano is immediately apparent, and his arrangements---he’s worked primarily as a composer---are highly original. To echo the words of Count Basie, Nordal plays "a whole lot of piano," and like... read more
Bobby Broom - My Shining Hour
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence
Broom is one of the best mainstream jazz guitarists out today, sporting a lively, fluid sound. The loose and freewheeling treatments he gives to "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Jitterbug Waltz" and "Sweet And Lovely" are very impressive and the rhythm section of Dennis Carroll and Makaya McCraven give him strutting, bubbling support. "Heather On The Hill" gets a pretty ballad treatment and "Tennessee Waltz" is done in a measured bluesy... read more
The Spin Quartet - In Circles
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A crew of hitters familiar to fans of the Origin label or contemporary jazz in general, they band together for their first as a band and their well wrought forward thinking tunes will have you on board in no time. Certainly sounding like it's the right time and place for them to step out on their owns, this free-ish jazz is a gasser. High octane, high energy throughout and a sure fire... read more
Dee Daniels - Jazzinit
by Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes Jan / Feb 2008
When, to borrow a skill once credited to Dee Daniels by Leonard Feather, you "soul-fry" a batch of pop hits, are you jazzin' it or putting jazz in it? Such is the intentional double entendre that ignites this magical assortment of hits old and (relatively) new from the Vancouver-based songstress who Houston Person rightly calls "the jazz world's hidden treasure." And, given Daniels' well-established jazz cred and her obvious ability to hammer... read more
Doug Beavers Orchestra - Jazz, Baby!
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
Here is your opportunity to bring up baby on some legit jazz with a swingin' band and vocals by Matt Catingub and Linda Harmon. I have two grandkids in Philly and one on the way in L.A., and you may be sure that they'll love receive copies of this delicious disc. Included are swinging versions of kiddy tunes like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Hush Little Baby," "The Ants Go Marching In" and "You Are My Sunshine," among... read more
Matt Otto with Ensemble Iberica - Iberica
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Ringer of the Week Tenor saxist and composer Matt Otto puts together a thoroughly original, accessible and exciting session that mixes jazz with Andalusian sounds on this clever session. The unorthodox team includes the "Ensemble Iberica" (Beau Bledsoe/g-oud, Jordan Shipley/g-cav, Michael McClintock/eg-tres) along with Brad Cox/Rhodes, Karl McComas-Reich/b-cel and Mike Stover/steelg. Together, Otto blows a smoky tenor along with rich... read more
Michael Dease - City Life: Music of Gregg Hill
by Editor, JazzTimes
TOP JAZZ RELEASES - JUNE 2025
Trombonist Michael Dease scales back to trio on the first half of City Life, his third Origin release devoted to music by composer Gregg Hill (after The Other Shoe and Found in Space, both of which had fuller instrumentation). Disc one finds the leader stretching out in a chordless context with bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. The format gives Dease endless room to deal on a high level... read more
Alex Graham - The Good Life
by Butch Berman, Berman Music Review
With "The Good Life" and an entirely different back-up ensemble, Alex Graham has done it again, and in spades. Recorded back in 1998, this is truly a dynamite piece of work from beginning to end. It's another no-frills, straight-ahead jazz album played to perfection, and a song selection to match. Alex on alto, flute and clarinet is brilliantly supported by this trio of solid senders.... read more
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