Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Dan Cray - Meridies
by George Colligan, Jazz Truth
Every time I turn around, there is a another great jazz pianist. (I think we need to put a cap on the number of great pianists. Just kidding.....) Dan Cray is the latest to cross my path. His new CD, "Meridies", showcases his sparkling technique and intriguing musicianship. It's a disc that has some trio and some quartet. It's a very warm and balanced sounding album, and it's got some edge without being jarring. From the first track,... read more
Randy Halberstadt - Flash Point
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Though the Origin label has a special knack for finding excellent bands led by drummers, they have also had considerable success discovering groups led by talented musicians who play other instruments. Pianist Randy Halberstadt is an excellent example of this. On his second album for the label, Halberstadt combines with a quartet of additional notables from the Seattle jazz scene for a surprisingly wide-ranging set. The album opens in a strong... read more
Kelly Brand Nextet - The Door
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
One of the things I miss most about no longer living in the Chicago area is seeing and hearing groups like pianist Kelly Brand's Nextet, known only to a small number of enthusiasts in the immediate neighborhood but deserving a much wider audience. One of the musicians I miss most is trumpeter Art Davis, a bellwether of the ensemble who has long been an admirably resourceful improviser and one of the Windy City's unsung treasures.
True story.... read more
Gabriel Guerrero & Quantum - Equilibrio
by Herb Boyd, DownBeat
4 1/2 STARS "Present Moment," the first track on Gabriel Guerrero & Quantum's debut album, arrives like a torrent of exultation that only on occasion recedes. Even then, there is a pleasant tumult of harmonic tension, especially when Guerrero's piano bleeds into the tantalizing sonic expositions of Seth Trachy's saxophone. The track is like the preface to a book, a harbinger of expressive music that at its base exudes a Latin-flavored... read more
Corey Christiansen - La Proxima
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Corey Christiansen plays electric and acoustic guitars in a collection of optimistic settings with a team of David Beove/b, Michael Spiro/perc and Colin Douglas/dr-perc. The extra rhythm pays dividends, whether on the acoustic guitared "My Sofiea" or electrical "Ambedo," the grooves are dug deep. Electric bass and guitar get fusiony on the Latin "Meraki" and the rock out on "Street Cred" with some hot riffs on "Awakening." Christiansen's... read more
Bobby Broom - Upper West Side Story
by Richard Scheinin, San Jose Mercury News
Best 20 jazz albums (so far) of 2012
Bobby Broom: Upper West Side Story (Origin). This is a super-good CD from Broom, one of the most unpretentious (and best) jazz guitarists. He plays as if he's playing for his life: Nothing "clever" about it, though if you were to analyze his solos, they probably would turn out to be way more advanced than those of the clever guys. Broom -- who played for years with Sonny Rollins --... read more
Scenes - Silent Photographer
by Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition
Scenes: placing modern artistic jazz in an empathic trio setting.
The Pacific Northwest is full of jazz musicians who deserve more notice outside the region. The Seattle/Portland trio Scenes is one example. Guitarist John Stowell, bassist Jeff Johnson and Origin Records honcho/drummer John Bishop first came together, along with tenor saxophonist Rick Mandyck, on the 2001 album Scenes. Since that time, Bishop, Stowell and Johnson have... read more
Joe Locke - Subtle Disguise
by Arturo Pepe, Traces of Jazz (Italy)
It is a combative and faded Joe Locke that is revealed in the booklet of his "thin masks", a new work by an artist who will turn sixty this year, a composer and vibraphonist who made his way in the '90s as a man of the new generation and has reached 35 (!) records as a leader, as well as countless sideman sessions in the most varied areas, from Cecil Taylor to Grover Washington Jr.
We had left it in 2015 with the well-deserved Downbeat... read more
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