ORIGIN RECORDS NEWS

Dana Hall featured in Downbeat Magazine

Drummer / aerospace engineer / ethnomusicologist / composer... Dana Hall is featured in the April issue of Downbeat Magazine. His Origin debut, Into The Light has celebrated a comanding stay on the JazzWeek national airplay charts, and received heaps of critical acclaim. Journalist Aaron Cohen writes;

When Dana Hall talks about global connections or musical nuances, his words convey a quiet authority. The drummer's background - which embraced equally intense levels of science and technology alongside music and scholarship - has provided him with a unique persepctive on those large and small concepts...
Read the full article here.

Earshot 2009 Golden Ear Awards

Seattle's Earshot Magazine presented its annual Golden Ear Awards on February 15th at the Triple Door, hosted by Jim Wilke and featuring a performance by Greg Williamson's AYPE Big Band. The gathering is always a highlight of the year as it brings together Seattle's jazz community to celebrate accomplishments and to reconnect. Many Origin and OA2 artists were in attendance and nominated for numerous awards. Some of the winners were:

NW Recording of the Year - Mark Taylor, Spectre (Origin 82529)
NW Instrumentalist - Eric Barber (Eric will be featured in the band Ziggurat, on an upcoming Origin release)
NW Outside Group - Neil Welch & Chris Icasiano Duo "Bad Luck" (Chris is a great drummer who works in the Origin office. Congratulations Chris!)
Hall of Fame - Marc Seales

For more information on the awards, check out the article in the Seattle Times, the Seattle Jazz Scene website, or visit www.earshot.org.

Tim Davies nominated for a 2010 Grammy!

Los Angeles composer and drummer Tim Davies received a 2009 Grammy nomination, for Best Instrumental Composition for his piece Counting To Infinity from his latest Origin release, Dialmentia.

Tim's in great company in that category, being nominated along side Bob Florence, Paquito D'Rivera, Michael Giacchiano, and Steve Wiest.

Dana Hall named an Outstanding "Chicagoan of the Year" By the Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune announced its outstanding Chicagoans of the Year, recognizing their achievements in ten arts and culture fields. Dana Hall, the drummer, composer, and educator, was the top Jazz Chicagoan, and the only professional musician selected. For a full list of honorees, click here.

Dana's first Origin release, Into The Light has appeared on best-of-2009 lists by the Chicago Tribune's Howard Reich ("The recording illuminates Hall's expressive breadth as a composer and dynamism as a leader") and the Detroit Free Press's Mark Stryker ("[Hall] leads a whip-smart quintet... through a broad swath of the mainstream -- swinging, stretching, signifying"). Get more information on the record, and hear sound clips here.

Hadley Caliman, Gail Pettis in the Top Ten on JazzWeek's National Airplay Charts, both tied for #7!

The JazzWeek airplay charts are full of Origin / OA2 releases! Gail Pettis' Here In The Moment, and Hadley Caliman's Straight Ahead are both in the top ten for national radio airplay. Currently there are 15 releases in JazzWeek's top 200!

Origin wins 2009 JazzWeek Record Label of the Year -

Seattle’s Origin Records was recognized as the 2009 Jazz Label of the Year at the JazzWeek Awards, held June 20th in Rochester, NY, during the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. The JazzWeek awards are voted on by several hundred members of the jazz industry including radio program directors, disc jockeys, program syndicators, satellite and cable broadcasters, record labels and promoters.

JazzWeek’s Ed Trefzger presented the award to Origin’s John Bishop during the JazzWeek Conference which has taken place alongside the Rochester Jazz Festival each year since 2003.

Also nominated in the Label category were Concord Records, Palmetto, Sunnyside, Heads Up, and HighNote Records.

Read the feature article in the SEATTLE TIMES.

Courtney Fortune appears in Glamour Magazine as one of the "Top 10 College Women of 2009"

In the recent issue, Glamour Magazine noted Origin Records' Courtney Fortune as one of the Top 10 College Women To Watch. With her release Speak Love, produced by Grammy-Nominated Chris Walden, we think Fortune certainly is a musical force worth listening to, as well.

Read the full story here.

2009 Earshot Jazz Festival

Many Origin artists made appearances this year at the 2009 Earshot Jazz Festival, in Seattle, WA. Lucky for us, Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer Daniel Sheehan was shooting at nearly every show. He's kindly let us post some of the photos in the PHOTOS section of the website. Check them out!