Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Tom Collier - Mallet Jazz
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Wander into the parking lot of a high school marching band field tournament, through a labyrinth school buses and picnic tables, into throngs of young musicians - teenagers in small packs cruising on foot, gossiping, flirting, maybe throwing a football around as a cold November dusk settles in - and there always seems to be a backdrop of percussion, impromptu practice sessions, the marimbas and the vibraphones ringing out. It's a sound that... read more
Randy Halberstadt - Flash Point
by Don Lerman, Cadence
Pianist Halberstadt, a prominent musician in the Pacific Northwest Jazz scene and a Jazz professor at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, has previously recorded CDs which feature his writing (compositions or arrangements) for Jazz trio (Inner Voice, 1991 on Pony Boy, Parallel Tracks, 2004 on Origin) and for vocalists (Clockwork, 1996 on Pony Boy). His current release again features his writing, this time for Jazz... read more
Rodney Whitaker - Common Ground: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Tomas Peña, JazzDeLaPena
Bass player Rodney Whitaker moves in the highest circles of the jazz world. But when he meets a self-taught artist, his ears perk up. "They'll say 'you don't want to listen to me, I'm not trained.'" Whitaker says. "But I do. People who have figured things out themselves really know something." So when Whitaker met Gregg Hill, a self-taught jazz composer, he was ready to listen.
Whitaker has worked with the likes of Wynton Marsalis and Roy... read more
Andrea Brachfeld & Insight - Evolution
by Terrell Holmes, New York City Jazz Record
Evolution, by flutist Andrea Brachfeld & Insight, is not just an album; it's an eloquent, impassioned plea for humanity. Brachfeld, with a first-call rhythm section of pianist Bill O'Connell, bassist Harvie S and drummer Jason Tiemann, sets out a musically and culturally diverse welcome table that is instructive as well as entertaining.
Brachfeld has serious jazz chops, and she declares her pedigree when the band bears down on... read more
Bobby Broom - Bobby Broom Plays for Monk
by Bob Weinberg, Miami Jazz and Blues Examiner
On the heels of a similar Peter Bernstein project, Sonny Rollins sideman Bobby Broom takes an imaginative stroll through the Thelonious Monk songbook with his trio of bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins. Of course, there's the novelty of hearing a guitar trio play Monk (the pianist never recorded with guitar, although apparently bootlegs exist of a 1940s jam with Charlie Christian at Minton's), but beyond that, Broom is an extremely... read more
Maddie Vogler - While We Have Time
by Scott Yanow, DownBeat
Alto-saxophonist Maddie Vogler's While We Have Time (Origin, 50:53 ***1/2) defies expectations a bit. Some of her music is dedicated to her grandmother who left Cuba for Chicago with her family when she was 16. While the opening number, "The Need To Be," is Latin-flavored jazz, the other pieces are modern hard bop with just subtle hints at Vogler's Latin background. She has an original sound on alto and takes fluent solos throughout this outing... read more
Alain Mallet - Mutt Slang II: A Wake of Sorrows Engulfed in Rage
by Paul Rauch, All About Jazz
The art of jazz would seem to be a mystery to most, and at the same time, a language understood by many. In the entirety of its history, it has served as a central location for idiomatic change, a virtual jumping off point for explorative ventures into both new and traditional world forms. The wide lens of the music of pianist/composer Alain Mallet mirrors in a way, the large embrace of all humankind necessary globally to build a meaningful... read more
Michael Dease - Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill
by MICHAEL STÜRM, Jazz Podium (Germany)
In Europe, Gregg Hill is a musical nobody, but in the USA, the composer has cult status, especially in jazz circles. There are musicians like bassist Rodney Whitaker, who have already released three recordings of the man from Michigan's compositions. Hill's fan group also includes trombonist Michael Dease.
This is the second time he has devoted himself to Hill's music on a complete album. What makes this music so special? Gregg Hill, that... read more
Looking for a specific review?
This is just a small collection of the Origin Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Search Reviews:
Recently Added Reviews:
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect