Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
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
Anthony Branker and Word Play - Uppity
by Dave Sumner, emusic Review
Branker has quietly been assembling a seriously impressive set of recorded music since focusing on composing and arranging. His talent lies in his ability to take complex music and offer it as simple expressions. What this means is that you?ll get very engaging jazz that is very easy to connect to and just enjoy listening for the sake of listening. On his newest, he has a solid line-up of Ralph Bowen on tenor sax, Andy Hunter on trombone, Elis... read more
Rodney Whitaker - All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
When in doubt, keep with the classics. That's what bassist Rodney Whitaker does in delving into jazz's greatest composer and giving eternal songs a modern touch. Whitaker brings together a strong team in trumpet legend Brian Lynch along wit Diego Rivera/ts, Michael Dease/tb,Richard Roe/p, Karriem Riggins-Kavon Gordon and guest vocalist Rockelle Whitaker.
Whitaker's thick and palpable tone is a work of art itself, and it's used well leading... read more
EEA - The Dark
by Ken Dryden, Rovi, iTunes
EEA are a trio of jazz faculty members at the University of Nevada, Reno, consisting of saxophonist Peter Epstein, trumpeter Larry Engstrom, and pianist David Ake. The lack of additional rhythm instruments gives the players both plenty of freedom and responsibility, which they handle well. The trio's three group improvisations stand out with potent interplay, with the first sounding as if it could be used as a film soundtrack. Ake composed... read more
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by Jeff Krow, Audiophile Audition
A cast of heavyweight talent?
****1/2 Stars
Origin Records has pulled in first string talent for drummer Rich Thompson's second release for the label. Thompson, who has been a jazz educator for the Eastman School of Music, as well as having a tenure with a Count Basie tribute band, has a quintet with all-star pedigree, including the virtuosic trumpeter Terrell Stafford, and multi-instrumentalist Gary Versace, both who... read more
John Bishop - Antwerp
by Russell Perry, WTJU-FM
Drummer John Bishop (Benjamin Boone, Hal Galper, Thomas Marriott) founded Origin Records as a label "run for musicians by musicians", yet rarely does he issue music under his own name. It has been 18 years since Nothing If Not Something in 2005. Of the program of six originals and three covers (by Hal Galper, Carla Bley, Henry Mancini), Dan McClenaghan wrote on AllAbout Jazz, "From the opener, Weijters' rollicking Ruchsichtslos, to Galper's... read more
Laurie Antonioli - Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
The concept of a jazz-informed program of Joni Mitchell tunes isn't exactly novel anymore. Herbie Hancock's high profile River: The Joni Letters (Verve, 2007) took home two Grammy Awards; vocalist Tierney Sutton got some well-deserved attention when she put her own spin on Mitchell's work with After Blue (BFM, 2013); somewhat under-the-radar releases from artists like David Lahm and Rachel Z have made something of an impact on a... read more
Benjamin Boone with the Ghana Jazz Collective - Joy
by Donald Munro, THE MUNRO REVIEW
10 INSIGHTS INTO GHANA AND THE MAKING OF BENJAMIN BOONE'S ACCLAIMED NEW ALBUM
At the moment I am listening to the opening song "The Intricacies of Alice" on Benjamin Boone's "Joy," and the act of rolling that title around my brain gives me, well, joy. Which is just one of many reasons that makes this new album for me so aptly titled.
There's a personal connection: I know Ben's wife, Alice, for whom the song is titled, and as I... read more
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