Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Scenes - ...But Not Heard
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Of their second recording, Along The Way (Origin, 2006), guitarist and All About Jazz contributor John Kelman said, "There's an airy, ECM-like feel to much of the album... more in its aesthetic than any direct stylistic reference." That immediately frames the music of guitarist John Stowell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop, giving it a definition and location. The "ECM sound" at once defies accurate definition while... read more
Brad Goode - Polytonal Big Band: The Snake Charmer
by Editor, Modern Drummer
Don't let the "polytonal" name fool you, this is a nice and pretty traditional big band with some extra-expressive soloing (that's part of the "polytonal" ingredient,) playing very nice and well-conceived charts. Most of the compositions and arrangements are by trumpeter Brad Goode and they run the gamut from inside and swingin' to slightly funky. Goode's arranging approach is where more of the polytonal aspect of the band enters, but it isn't... read more
Thomas Marriott - Flexicon
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
Trumpeter Thomas Marriott spent time paying his dues in the New York scene, moving back to his native Northwest after a few years and becoming a darling of the local jazz scene. On Flexicon, he pulls out sounds and styles from both areas of influence. The album opens with Freddie Hubbard's "Take It to the Ozone," jumping directly into full-speed, full-power, high-energy, post-bop melodies and using the solos to explore every possible nuance of... read more
Kelly Sill / Jim McNeely / Joel Spencer - Boneyard
by Butch Berman, Berman Music Foundation.org
I was an only child born in Peoria, Ill., just a couple of stones' throw to Chicago, before we moved to Lincoln when I was one year old. My dad worked for my mom's family, selling jewelry and buying clothes for their store. He'd go to the market in New York semi-annually and fly to meet my mother and me in Chicago for our annual summer vacation. She and I would take the train to rendezvous there. When I was 10 and very much into baseball, they... read more
Doug Beavers 9 - Two Shades of Nude
by Tim Taylor, Audiophile Audition
Trombonist Doug Beavers produced the album and is the leader of this nine piece band of New York musicians. Beavers played with the Mingus Big Band and Eddie Palmieri establishing a good reputation amongst the musical community there. Beavers indicated he enjoys arranging and leading this type of group with his arrangements. He comes with an impressive education in music.
The beginnings of this group were in 2000 with the players getting... read more
Doug Beavers Orchestra - Jazz, Baby!
by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
This project came about when arranger Doug Beavers Rovira was hired to write a series of big band charts of children's songs, recording performances that would be of interest to toddlers and kids. Matt Catingub and Linda Harmon take the enthusiastic vocals on the familiar tunes. The performances are concise (taking into account very short attention spans) and the big band is mostly used as a colorful foil with the vocals. One cannot imagine... read more
Mimi Fox - Standards, Old & New
by Ian MacGregor, Jazz Guitar Society of Western Australia
Recording a solo jazz guitar album is no mean feat and even many of the great players have declined to record a whole album solo. It takes a combination of all your technical skill, instant ideas and the bravery and confidence to execute it, and this being Mimi Fox?s third recording of solo guitar pieces it is evident she has mastered the art. Mimi impressed local audiences with her appearance at the Fremantle Jazz Festival in Jan 2002 and in... read more
Anthony Branker & Ascent - Dance Music
by Karl Ackerman, All About Jazz
Anthony Branker continues to experiment with the standards of large group musical tradition on Dance Music. Leading a revised version of his Ascent ensemble, the composer/musical director takes a different approach than the Latin influences on Blessings (Origin Records, 2009). Only on the last of ten tracks, "Depende," is there a composition in that vein, but that's all for the good, as Branker keeps searching for new ways to articulate a... read more
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