Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra - The Endless Search
by Don Mather, MusicWeb International UK
Jimmy Heath is one of the great tenor saxophone players in jazz and he is also a very skilled arranger and composer. He has played in many of the most famous groups in jazz as a sideman and soloist and also served many, including Dizzy Gillespie, as composer/arranger. From his soloing on this record alone it is easy to see why he has such an enviable reputation. His improvisations are exquisite and worth the price of the album on their own. The... read more
Shawn Purcell - Oblivity
by Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
Guitarist Shawn Purcell can always be counted on to create stimulating and inventive music. In his career he worked with the U.S. Air Force's Airmen Of Note for 8 years, was with the US Navy Band Commodores jazz ensemble, and has appeared on over 30 recordings. Oblivity is his third album as a leader, following 2019's Symmetricity and 2022's 180.
For this set, Purcell debuts ten of his originals, performing with the masterful... read more
Gregg Keplinger / Reuben Radding / Daniel Carter - Language
by Jon Davis, Expose
This set starts out with a mangled bowed sound from Reuben Radding's bass, more sound effects than notes, joined after a few moments by Daniel Carter's alto sax and Gregg Keplinger's drums. The three wander aimlessly for a bit, then the fog clears and a quick swinging tempo emerges, with Radding providing a busy bottom end, Keplinger simultaneously keeping the beat on the ride cymbal and adding unexpected accents on snare and toms, and Carter... read more
Western Jazz Collective - Dark Journey: The Music of Andrew Rathbun
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'N'More (Switzerland)
The Western Jazz Collective is a renowned ensemble based at the School of Music at Western Michigan University. It consists of highly dedicated educators who are also outstanding musicians. The collective consists of Greg Jasperse, Scott Cowan, Andrew Rathbun, Matt Landon, Matthew Fries, John Hébert, and Keith Hall. They are joined by guest Kevin "Bujo" Jones.
The album, subtitled "The Music of Andrew Rathbun," presents nine modern and... read more
Piet Verbist - Suite Réunion
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Originally formed as an outlet for the things he was writing that didn't fit into the various formats for all the other groups he was working with contemporaneously, this nu ECM cool school instrumental set lights the way to the creative future for musos unafraid to take chances in that distinct Euro way, not a surprise since Verbist is from Belgium. Angular without sharp edges poking you, this is real listening music that knows how to chart... read more
Mimi Fox - Standards
by Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
Making a solo guitar album work is not an easy task. It's not enough to be a technical wizard; veteran Mimi Fox is that and more. You also have to be able to blend a tasteful play list, sensitivity to the music, enough fresh ideas so as not to become dull, and a certain flamboyance (but not so much that it overwhelms the listener). Fox achieves all of that and more on her fourth album as a leader. The play list is made up of standards - not only... read more
Jack Mouse - Range of Motion
by Brent Black, Critical Jazz
Origin Records is an often overlooked label when in reality they have a stable of artists that are as technically proficient and artistically gifted as most any other label one can think of. The Jack Mouse Group is certainly no exception and with a distinguished musical resume including work with such luminaries as Kenny Burrell, Bob Mintzer, and Sheila Jordon it is easy to see this is not Mouse's first rodeo.
Jack Mouse has assembled what... read more
Benjamin Boone | Philip Levine - The Poetry of Jazz
by Jeffery Gleaves, The Paris Review
Before his death in 2015, the former U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Levine partnered with the saxophonist Benjamin Boone to record live jazz and poetry reading sessions. The Poetry of Jazz, fourteen original jazz compositions paired with fourteen poems by the late poet laureate, has finally been released and is available in nearly every format (CD, Google Play Music, Spotify, YouTube). The LP opens with one of my favorite... read more
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