Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Clarence Penn - Behind the Voice
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Clarence Penn, best known for his drum work, adds keyboards, percussion and vocorder to his repertoire on this clever album where he features various vocalists to his rotating musical team that includes Adam Rogers-Gilad Hekselman/g, Shedrick Mitchell/key, and James Genus-Yasushi Nakamura/b amng others. Most intriguing Is the wide-ranging use of singers, with Kurt Elling in earnest form with Hekselman on "Come Talk To Me" while Emily Braden adds... read more
Benjamin Boone - Caught in the Rhythm
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'n'More (Switzerland)
For a decade now, the saxophonist and composer Benjamin Boone has successfully dedicated himself to combining works by contemporary poets with jazz compositions from his own pen. The collaboration with the award-winning poet Philip Levine in The Poetry of Jazz Volume Two (posthumous 2018) and The Poets Are Gathering (2020), both released by the Origin label, were particularly successful.
Now he is following up with an album... read more
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
Todd Bishop - Travelogue
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Drummer Todd Bishop's last two releases: Little Played Little Bird (Origin, 2012) and Pop Art 4: 69 Annee Erotique (Origin, 2009) were exceptional expositions of concept, production and musicianship. Using his band from Little Bird Bishop switches to a collection of original compositions as his vehicle on Travelogue.
Bishop's band has properly gelled, benefiting from having played together consistently for the last... read more
Joe Locke - Subtle Disguise
by Jay Hunter, Nippertown
2018 Top 10 I got a dizzying taste of Locke's latest in the spring, when the vibes master paired up with pianist Jim Ridl for a duo gig at Senate Garage in Kingston. If just the two of them could spin my head around, imagine the effect when they team up with bassist Lorin Cohen and drummer Samvel Sarkisyan for Locke's most penetrating work to date. Sax monster David Binney and guitarist Adam Rogers kick things up several notches on the... read more
speak - Speak
by John Barron, All About Jazz
The Seattle-based quintet Speak explores a multitude of musical moods with their eponymous recording debut. An exemplary model of genre-defying music, the disc features original compositions that delve into odd-metered progressive rock grooves and spontaneous bursts of improvised sound that are at times explosive.
The opening cut "Amalgam in the Middle" makes anthemic pronouncements with an extended section for Aaron Otheim's intensity... read more
John Moulder - Earthborn Tales of Soul and Spirit
by Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
In a holiday season when musical treacle is practically unavoidable on the airwaves and in shopping malls, it's comforting to know there's an alternative.
For though Chicago guitarist John Moulder's newest recording, Earthborn Tales of Soul and Spirit, wasn't conceived as holiday fare, it addresses spirituality in far deeper ways than we're accustomed to hearing at this time of year.
So, no, you won't hear the great Chicago... read more
Nnenna Freelon - Beneath the Skin
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
More than just an extraordinary voice, Nnenna Freelon possesses above all a vision of her art, deconstructing the structures of songs to heighten their dramatic essence, as only the greatest artists can. A jazz album, certainly, but one that brushes against the blues and soul with expert wings, carrying emotions through each note with an instrumentation tailored to perfection, almost minimalist, revealing the delicate fragility of a true... read more
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