Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Cuong Vu - Leaps of Faith
by Peter Margasak, Downbeat Magazine
★★★★
Trumpeter Cuong Vu moved back to his native Seattle in 2006 to teach, but five years later he's still working with the members of his long-running New York trio, drummer Ted Poor and electric bassist Stomu Takeishi. But on Leaps Of Faith, a gorgeous live recording made in Seattle in April 2010, he brings in second electric bassist Luke Bergman?a former University of Washington student of his who's now a regular... read more
Brad Goode Quintet - That's Right!
by Thomas Cunniffe, Jazz History Online
Neither trumpeter Brad Goode nor tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts could be called underrated, but both of them deserve wider recognition. Both men are brilliant talents, and along with an outstanding rhythm section, they have formed a superb jazz quintet capable of a broad range of styles and genres. "That's Right", their new release for Origin, was recorded after a successful concert at the 2018 Jazz Educators Network conference in Dallas, and it... read more
Pharez Whitted - For the People
by Jon Ross, Downbeat Magazine
"Watusi Boogaloo," the first track on Chicago-based trumpeter Pharez Whitted's fourth album, starts things off with a funky, in-the-pocket groove; the exceptional guitarist Bobby Broom sets up a one-note, rhythmic vamp before Whitted and saxophonist Eddie Bayard ascend and descend, navigating a medium-tempo, spiraling figure. It's a laidback melody, deliberately navigated with ease, giving the tune a light, casual nature grounded in a... read more
Clark Sommers - Ba(SH)
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
The spirit of Thelonious Monk abounds on bassist Clark Sommers' Ba(SH). Monk's music is magnetically drawn to odd formats like this saxophone trio, sporting Geof Bradfield on reeds and Dana Hall on drums. There is no tether in this music; all participant are free in the most free sense. The recital hold together well, with Bradfield's intricate nod to Monk's "Rhythm-n-Ing" providing an example of the long arm of Monk. There are elements of... read more
Dana Hall - Into the Light
by Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
Dana Hall, Into The Light (Origin). Drummers who flaunt their technique can be enemies of music when their busyness becomes the center-ring distraction in a band. Dana Hall is a busy drummer, but in his case that's a compliment. He accompanies with waves of rhythmic patterns surging and swelling behind, under and around soloists. This 40-year-old Chicagoan?debuting here as a leader?manages to amalgamate his virtuosity so that he melds... read more
Tad Britton - Black Hills
by Grego Applegate Edwards, Cadence
Black Hills, by Tad Britton includes a few originals, and a number of Pop classics not often, if ever, covered by a Jazz conflagration and, oh yes, a couple of Jazz numbers by classic writers. Bassist Jeff Johnson is hip, agile, and a great soloist. Tadd plays drums like he was born to play in a piano trio - he's busy enough to pull his weight in the threesome and can really play great time. Pianist Marc Seales has a superior linear sense and,... read more
Thomas Marriott - Romance Language
by George Harris, Jazz Weekly
Rich ballads and romantic moods are produced by Thomas Marriott, who plays tender trumpet and fluid flugelhorn as he's supported by the orchestrations and programming by keyboardist Ryan Cohen, vibe master Joe Lock, bassist Jeff Johnson and deft drummer John Bishop. The pastoral strings serve as rich drapery as Locke adds thoughtful vibes to Marriott's reflective musings on the elegiac "Dexter's Tune" and lyrical "Forgiveness." Glassy piano and... read more
Marlene Rosenberg - MLK Convergence
by Matt Silver, WRTI, Philadelphia
Jazz Album of the Week: Bassist Marlene Rosenberg's MLK Convergence Captures Spirit of Protests
Inspired by the protest music of the '60s that helped dismantle the codified racism of that era, bassist Marlene Rosenberg's latest album, MLK Convergence, released almost exactly a year ago, presents a new catalogue of socially conscious compositions with the exigency of our current moment in mind, taking aim at the vestiges of... read more
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