Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Joe Locke - Force of Four
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Certain sounds are so easy to love: the blurry whine of a muted trumpet, the beefy growl of a robust tenor saxophone, the rich, frictional cry of the cello, and the buoyant, sustained ring of a mallet hitting a key on a vibraphone.
Vibraphonist Joe Locke's profile seems to have risen on a sharp angle since Live in Seattle (Origin Records, 2006), a CD that found its way onto several critic's top ten of the year lists. Since then he has... read more
Tim Horner - The Head of the Circle
by Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
Every year, there are a handful of outstanding albums that offer up brilliant melodies that reveal, one after the other, like massive fireworks at a celebration. The kind of thing that lets the ear immerse itself in the current song while anxiously wondering what the next might bring-- and when it finally arrives, experiencing no less surprise at its strength or vibrancy, even when taking into account the album's impressive track... read more
Chad McCullough - Dark Wood, Dark Water
by Elliott Simon, All About Jazz
As illuminating as new views of familiar landscapes can be, a vibrant jazz scene is best measured by its ability to foster young artists creating new music. Dark Wood, Dark Water's compositions employ advanced harmonics and are all originals, save for the band's lovely and unique take on Lennon-McCartney's "Blackbird." Joining Chad McCullough and Jeff Johnson are Bishop himself, saxophonists Mark Taylor and Geof Bradfield and pianist Bill... read more
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra - The Endless Search
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
After a guest spot with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra in 2001, longtime sax player Jimmy Heath went back to work at Queens College. Letting a few years pass, the SRJO came back with a commission -- an attempt to create new music for the older structured form of big-band jazz. The result was a three-part tour de force of harmony that manages to showcase the formidable horns of Seattle individually without simply resorting to solos. This is... read more
AsGuests - Universal Mind
by Larry Hollis, Cadence
If one had to choose a solitary word to describe Universal Mind, it would have to be "pensive." Homeported in the Hague, AsGuests was founded some fifteen years ago by vibraphonist Herak and pianist Vanoucek as a duo that eventually evolved into a quartet with a revolving cast of guest artists to augment the ensemble. Here they add a string trio to perform eight compositions written by the pianist. Except for "Solace Cells" and "Guanc,"... read more
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra - Sacred Music of Duke Ellington
by Reuben Jackson, Ellingtonia
Like another internationally celebrated Washingtonian, vocalist Marvin Gaye, Duke Ellington's overt declarations of faith were composed, recorded and performed toward the end of his career. By 1965, when Ellington's First Sacred Concert was performed, his always stunning gift for crafting a sensual and evocative orchestral palette had grown even more sublime - not unlike Gay's equally moving vocal arsenal.
Yet critical response to Ellington's... read more
New York Voices - Reminiscing in Tempo
by Editor, The Jazz Page
New York Voices prove why they have become a vocal jazz institution with Reminiscing in Tempo. The production is a wonderful, eclectic mix of songs by Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Ignacio Cervantes, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The harmonies of the group's Peter Eldridge, Lauren Kinhan, Darmon Meader and Kim Nazarian are soaring and on-point on every tune. The quality musical performances backing them are... read more
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Where Jazz Meets Memory: Abate Berihun's Global Soundscape
Cultures, you said cultures? Then you have come to the right place. The spirit of One Thousand and One Nights, that vast tapestry of stories shaped between the 17th and 18th centuries, lingers here, not in narrative form, but in sound. Within those tales, music, often centered on the tambourine and lute, evokes deeply interwoven cultural traditions, including threads of Jewish... read more
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