Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
David Friesen - Day of Rest
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect Reviews
David Friesen is most known for his esteemed work on bass, where he's occasionally sprinkled piano into the equation. Here, though, his bass is absent, as he brings us his first recording with the piano front and center for the entire journey.
"Backward Glance" starts the listen with elegant, flowing key work that's quite warm and cozy, as Friesen settles in like an old friend coming for a visit, and "Day Dream" continues the grace with... read more
Scott Neumann Neu3 Trio - Blessed
by Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader
Track of the Day - Over the last decade and a half or so one of my favorite jazz saxophonists has been Michael Blake, the Vancouver native who first made his name as a member of one of the final lineups of John Lurie's Lounge Lizards. That's not the context where I first heard Blake, and to be honest I've enjoyed his work on his own much more. He's rooted in hard bop tradition, but over the years he's measuredly deployed interesting... read more
Toby Koenigsberg - Sense
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
On Sense, pianist Toby Koenigsberg's trio offers up a wistful and straightforward take on the American Songbook classic "My Foolish Heart," including a poignant, spare reading of the familiar melody. However, everything else on the disc pushes the boundaries.
The trio opens and closes the set with tunes by the New York-based trumpeter Andre Canniere: "Thirteen Species" and "Realizing." Both, like much of this material, have a mildly (and... read more
Todd Bishop - Travelogue
by Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
It was going to be interesting to see how the Todd Bishop Group emerged from their excellent 2012 release, Little Played, Little Bird. An album that covered obscure Ornette Coleman tunes, Bishop and company spoke to the heart of the Coleman originals without trying to out-free the free jazz artist. While there was no mistaking the inspiration of those tunes, Bishop gave the music his own voice; a voice that situates itself pretty... read more
Rich Thompson - Generations
by Tom Kohn, The Bop Shop - Rochester, NY
Drummer Rich Thompson has been in demand as a top call drummer in Rochester for the past 25 years. Besides serving as the drum set instructor at the Eastman School of Music since the fall of 1996, Rich has toured, performed, and recorded with the ?who?s who? of jazz greats including pianist James Williams (Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers), The Count Basie Orchestra, Tito Puente, Frank Foster, The Byron Stripling quartet, saxophonist Rich... read more
New Stories - Speakin Out
by Butch Berman, Berman Music
Add another new chapter to New Stories expanding catalog with their current Origin release Speakin' Out with Ernie Watts - and you'll be assured of a guaranteed best seller.
This Seattle-based trio, consisting of pianist Marc Seales, bassist Doug Miller, and drummer John Bishop, just keeps getting better and better at refining the art. They combine the atmospheric, but laid-back West Coast feel on "A Night in Manhattan," utilize strong... read more
Jared Hall - Seen on the Scene
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Sometimes you just don't need anything more than a driving leader and a bunch of like minded jazzbos that brought their chops to make sure a good time is had by all. A real dynamo trumpeter, Hall leads with a sure handed lip guiding a cast of characters that doesn't need to be told what to do. You don't even need a libation to go with this because you won't want to miss a note. One solidly swinging good... read more
Hadley Caliman - Straight Ahead
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
The most appealing thing about Hadley Caliman, save for his very eloquent name, is his equally eloquent and understated tenor saxophone playing. Firmly in a post-Coltrane context, Caliman plays a virile and muscular tenor saxophone whose tone compels because of its carefully crafted rough edges. Straight Ahead follows up his 2008 Origin release Gratitude.
Caliman joins a ratified group of Left Coast jazz musicians who interrupted their... read more
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