Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Florian Hoefner - Luminosity
by Chris Maskell, Ottawa Citizen
Pianist Florian Hoefner's latest release Luminosity, which was released last week, is partly an ode to St. John's, Newfoundland. Although the native of Germany says that he was only "subconsciously" inspired by his new place of residence, the album's dramatic melodies and rolling grooves bring images of the area's stunning landscapes to mind right from the start.
Like many great jazz composers, Hoefner wrote the record's music with his band... read more
Kobie Watkins Grouptet - Movement
by Alan Musson, UK Vibe
Kobie Watkins is another fine musician who is new to me. Listening to this album I'm not quite sure why he hasn't come to my attention before. Watkins is a native of Chicago, Illinois. Music has been in his blood from an early age when he listened to his father playing drums in the church. Over the years he has progressed to become an eminent drummer/percussionist and educator.
Watkins has worked and/or recorded with some of the best... read more
Anthony Branker & Imagine - What Place Can Be for Us?
by Angelo Leonardi, All About Jazz (Italy)
4 1/2 STARS The adventurous post-bop of the composer Anthony Branker, well expressed by the album Beauty Within by the Imagine quintet, finds new and more complex developments in this What Place Can Be for Us?. The group confirms the guitarist Pete McCann and the couple Fabian Almazan and Linda May Han Oh, expanding to a medium size band with some of the greatest young instrumentalists in New York: the trumpeter Philip Dizack, the... read more
Kobie Watkins Grouptet - Movement
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
From Chicago and Sonny Rollins he came but now Watkins is based in North Carolina and finds himself kicking it out with a group that came together at the entrance of Yellowstone. Not wide open spaces music, this is solid, straight ahead jazz informed by chops well heated in the crucible of nightly playing with some other real hitters along the way. Almost a decade since his debut as a leader, this second set will be almost unrecognizable to... read more
Kim Richmond Ensemble - Live At Cafe Metropol
by George Kanzler, JazzTimes
West Coast small bands seem to enjoy arrangements with structure and routines more than the rough-and-tumble favored by Big Apple groups. This sextet, led by saxophonist and composer/arranger Kim Richmond, even manages to make a head arrangement called at this gig sound as if it were organized and rehearsed. But this also isn't one of those annoyingly over-polished, polite combo offerings that have given a smirk to the term "West Coast jazz"... read more
Brent Jensen w/ Bill Anschell, Jeff Johnson, John Bishop - One More Mile
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
For his fifth Origin release, Brent Jensen includes some of the main Origin stable stars as members of his quartet, which shows off some impressive sensitivity to the music, with both classic pieces and new compositions from the bandmembers. Jensen continues his trademark relaxed sound on the soprano sax, pulling just the right notes out where he wants them. Drummer John Bishop largely stays in the background, but can come forward as called for... read more
Chris Walden Big Band - No Bounds
by Ric Bang, The Davis Enterprise, September 14, 2006
Chris Walden was born and raised in Germany, where he received his musical education. He now lives and works in Los Angeles as a musician, composer and arranger. He has scored more than 30 feature and TV films, and arranged works for numerous artists and the Chicago Symphony.
With that background, it's no surprise that the band utilized on this CD is more than merely "big" ... it's huge! This ensemble consists of five saxes, seven... read more
Scott Reeves - Portraits and Places
by Staff, Jazziz
Multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator Scott Reeves assembled his Jazz Orchestra eight years ago, but has just gotten around to recording with them. During that time, the City College of New York professor, who also taught at Juilliard among other prestigious institutions, has honed his big band's sound and the works he's written for them. The thrilling results can be heard on Portraits and Places (Origin), the Scott Reeves Jazz... read more
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