Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Michael Waldrop Big Band - Time Within Itself
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
Percussionist Michael Waldrop plays both drums and mallet instruments (vibes and marimba). He has a PhD and currently is a professor of percussion at Eastern Washington University, where he teaches both jazz and classical courses.
He also directs a big band, and this is that ensemble's inaugural album.
Once upon a time - back in unenlightened times - drummers often were looked down upon. (Question: "How big is your band?" Answer: "Sixteen... read more
Ben Black - Mystery & Wonder
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect Reviews
The Seattle vocalist and songwriter Ben Black brings us 11 original songs here that are inspired by mysticism and meditation, and he's got an all star of musicians including Bill Anschell, Dave Peterson, Jeff Johnston, Mark Ivester, David Lange and Brenda Kay Neth along with him.
"Wonderland" opens the listen with Black's soulful pipes illuminating the frisky keys from Anschell and Peterson's spirited guitar work, and "Wind" follows with a... read more
Cuong Vu - Leaps of Faith
by Steve Greenlee, Jazz Times
When not collaborating with top-ranking improvisers like Pat Metheny and Myra Melford, trumpeter Cuong Vu has spent the past 10 years making ethereal, languorous, cinematic music of his own writing. Standards? Not his thing. Not until now, anyway.
At first blush, Leaps of Faith appears to be an about-face for Vu, whose previous albums have featured original tunes and nothing else. But it takes all of a few seconds to realize that when... read more
Scenes - Along the Way
by Richard Kamins, Courant.com
The trio of John Stowell (guitar), Jeff Johnson (acoustic bass) and John Bishop (drums), collectively known as Scenes, takes its name from a 2001 recording they made with saxophonist Rick Mandyck for Seattle's Origin label. "Along The Way" is their first release but it sounds like they've worked together for years.
Stowell, a fixture on the Northwest Creative music scene since the 1970s, is a fluid player who, like Monaco and Shepik... read more
Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group - Live In Seattle
by Harvey Siders, Jazz Times, November 2006
Constantly flirting with atonality but never surrendering to it, this quartet made a lasting impression at the 2005 Ballard Jazz Festival, where the hip folks at Origin made a live, studio-quality recording. So much is happening at any given moment that careful, repeat listening is required to separate the various strands that combine to create the sheets of sound (or as Locke prefers, "cascade").
Co-leaders vibist Locke and pianist Keezer... read more
David Weiss Sextet - Auteur
by Carlo Wolff, DownBeat
4 1/2 STARS The David Weiss Sextet's first album in 10 years is a master class in musical power. It presents five primarily long-form tunes by trumpeter Weiss and one each by Freddie Hubbard and Slide Hampton.
Auteur is immersive modern music spanning "The Mirror," a staple of the group's repertoire; "The Other Side Of The Mountain," a gorgeous Martin Luther King Jr. homage; and "Too Little Too Late," the relatively brisk... read more
Dee Daniels - Intimate Conversations
by Shaun Brady, Jazziz
Q&A
With a powerful four-octave voice that sounds as if it's been fermented in the blues, singer Dee Daniels has fronted big bands and symphony orchestras over the course of her 30-year career. But as the title implies, her new CD, Intimate Conversations, is a collection of deeply personal duo performances. Choosing songs with lyrics that are themselves conversational, Daniels engages with a roster of jazz luminaries that... read more
Bobby Broom - My Shining Hour
by Charles L. Latimer, I Dig Jazz - Detroit
The jazz guitarist Bobby Broom last album was Upper Westside Stories. He packed it with new music, and for the first time fans were able to take in the full range of his writing. It was a wonderful and a daring outing. For Broom's new album My Shining Hour, available August 19th on Origin Records, Broom drummer Makaya McCraven and bassist Dennis Carrol reworks some well-known tunes from the great American Songbook such as "My... read more
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