Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
RadioAction - Hi-Fi
by John Barrett, Jr., All About Jazz
The drums pound home, and it begins. The title is modern ("Explosion"), the sound is vintage: an early ‘Sixites groove you find on Blue Note. Alex Graham holds the alto, and gives it the high piercing sound from the old days (he doesn’t sound "like" anybody, but that tone is there.) He takes little phrases and spins them around, staying in the high end. He leaves off in a sliding line recalling the theme; the piano takes over.... read more
Rich Thompson - Less Is More
by Michael Nastos, Cadence
The modern mainstream, straight ahead jazz quintet is not a format completely exhausted in originality as proven by drummer Rich Thompson, his cast of famed all-stars, and local heroes. Keyboardist Gary Versace and trumpeter Terell Stafford are clearly the front-runners of this date, with Thompson and Jeff Campbell in solid support, and Doug Stone?s tenor as an occasional interesting flavor packet. An associate professor of music at the Eastman... read more
Dan Cray - Meridies
by Dan Healy, Chicago Jazz Magazine
Judging especially from the liner notes, life change and forward motion are a major theme of Dan Cray?s new quartet CD, Meridies. As a virtuosic pianist who has recently made the journey from Chicago to New York, the sidemen selection seems only natural. Cray and bassist Clark Sommers have both worked in Chicago and New York, while saxophonist Noah Preminger and drummer Mark Ferber are both established New York musicians. In the instance of this... read more
Mark Zaleski - OUR TIME: REIMAGINING DAVE BRUBECK
by Héctor Martin, Canción a Quemarropa (Canary Islands)
This next September 17, 2021 will see the light of the last release of the record company Origin Records under the title of Our Time: Reimagining Dave Brubeck, a recording of Mark Zaleski Band. The Mark Zaleski Band is a powerful sextet led by the saxophonist and arranger that gives the band its name.
On Our Time, Mark serves as frontman for the Boston-based band and presents several fresh insights into the genius' classic compositions: Dave... read more
Giacomo Gates - Centerpiece
by Joe Lang, New Jersey Jazz
Jazz vocalist and terminal hipster Giacomo Gates just keeps getting better and better with each recording. "Centerpiece" (Origin 82428) finds Gates backed by Harold Danko on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, Greg Bandy on drums, Vincent Herring on alto sax and Vic Juris on guitar. Gates has many assets, among them a rich and flexible voice, a natural sense of swing, the ability to scat musically and logically, and an attentiveness to lyrics that is... read more
Ryan Shultz - Hair Dryers
by Hryar Attarian, Chicago Jazz Magazine
Bass trumpeter Ryan Shultz's debut as a leader, Hair Dryers, is an enjoyable look back at the jazz-fusion movement. A heavily electrified atmosphere envelops the songs that the group interprets with a deft balance of elegance and an organic vigor. Shultz, who penned most of the music, wields his instrument with remarkable agility and coaxes out of it a sinewy sound with an understated passion. The soulful title track, reminiscent of... read more
Rich Thompson - Who Do You Have to Know?
by George W Harris, JazzWeekly
Drummer Rich Thompson puts together a hip little quartet that veers between a humming Hammond groover and a piano post bopper, depending which instrument Bobby Floyd is sitting behind. Along with Peter Chwazik/b and Corey Christiansen/g, Thompson mixes standards with new material, with Christianson's guitar reminiscent of John Scofield, particularly on the aforementioned's "Gray and Viceral" but also on the organ-ized funky "Street Cred" and... read more
Kelly Brand Nextet - The Door
by John Barron, All About Jazz.com
The Kelly Brand Nextet is the brain-child of Chicago pianist/composer Kelly Brand. The ensemble, a vehicle for Brand's compositional vision features a crew of top-notch Windy City musicians who swing with an aggressive edge. Something of a family affair, The Door features Brand's husband Kelly Sill on bass and on one track, her daughter Naomi Sill on cello.
The Door is made up of a number of compelling musical components, the most intriguing... read more
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