''Origin Suite'' is the second jazz album by Michael Waldrop, produced by award-winning

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington-based label Origin Records and released January 3, 2018. The CD idea is a high level, eclectic mix of works showcasing Michael Waldrop. Specifically, the Origin Suite was composed for this CD as a ''tour de force'' to showcase Waldrop. Most notably the CD received 4 of 5 stars by music critic and author Brian Morton in the April 2018 edition of ''

Jazz Journal ''Jazz Journal'' is a British jazz magazine established in 1946 by Sinclair Traill (1904–1981). It was first published in London under the title ''Pick Up'', which Traill founded as a locus for serious jazz criticism in Britain.Roberta Freund S ...

'' from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Brian Morton
''Jazz Journal'', April 2018, p. 36
/ref>

Background

After the success of Michael Waldrop's '' Time Within Itself'' CD, he decided to approach Origin Records to do a second CD. They agreed and this time a wider set of music was used though still employing Jack Cooper as the primary writer and arranger for the new project. Another substantial grant ($10,000) was obtained by Waldrop from

Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public university in Cheney, Washington, United States. It shares its satellite campus in Spokane, Washington with Washington State University. Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided in ...

to doing a CD. The ''Origin Suite'' (title work) is inspired by three paintings by artist

Wifredo Lam Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla (; December 8, 1902 – September 11, 1982), better known as Wifredo Lam, was a Cuban artist who sought to portray and revive the enduring Afro-Cubans, Afro-Cuban spirit and culture. Inspired by ...

: ''La Jungla'', ''Nativité'', ''Al Final De La Noche''. Lam's paintings are primitive and earthy in approach and draw on

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

n themes related to

Santería Santería (), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diaspora religions, Afro-Caribbean religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose amid a process of syncretism between the traditional ...

and

Cuban Vodú The religion of Haitian Vodou () has been present in Cuba since at least the 18th century. It was transmitted to the island by Haitian migrants, the numbers of whom grew rapidly in the early 20th century, and is primarily practised by their descen ...

culture.

Promotion

The ''Origin Suite'' CD got its first promotion with the "Track of The Day" feature with

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

. The track ''La Jungla'' was given 3.5 of 5 stars by reviewer Fiona Ord-Shrimpton.

Reception

Reviewing for ''

Cadence In Classical music, Western musical theory, a cadence () is the end of a Phrase (music), phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution (music), resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don ...

'', Bob Rausch said: " Michael Waldrop rm/vibis another artist with past ties to North Texas State and his big band is not traditional as displayed on ORIGIN SUITE. Recorded at various times from August 2010 though July 2017 presented here are a dozen originals mostly by Waldrop. There are also moments for small groupings. Purists will be set off by the lack of continuity in style and manner of the CD, that said, the various styles employed work well. The main influence seems to be Weather Report with its high energy rhythm and electrified pinning. Waldrop picks from a pool of over 25 musicians, uses overdubbing and there is an occasionally use of voice as sweetening to the compositions."Rausch, Bob. Cadence Review, March 2018
/ref> Tom Hull was less impressed, saying Waldrop "runs a big band here, with various bits recorded elsewhere and tacked together. The title suite is rather short, but the album goes on and on, alternately richly expressive and overblown."

Track listing

Recording notes * January 11, 2016 (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8), Crystal Clear Sound,

Dallas, TX Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

* Summer 2016 (track 7), Buffalo Sound,

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* June 2016 (tracks 4 and 10), SkyMuse Studios,

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* September 2016 (tracks 9 and 11), Ice Station Zebra,

* August 2010 (track 12), KillZone Studios,

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Personnel

Musicians

* Michael Waldrop (all tracks): Drums and Vibraphone (add congas and keyboards for track 11) Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 * Jack Cooper: MD/conductor, arranger, composer *

Marc Secara Marc Secara (born 20 February 1976) is a Germans, German singer and recording artist known for jazz, American pop, American pop music, and Schlager music, German popular repertoire. He is also a member of the German singing group the Berlin Voi ...

(1-3, 5): Vocal *

Jimi Tunnell Jimi Tunnell is an American guitarist and vocalist from Denton, Texas, Denton, Texas. Although he is known as a guitarist, his career began as a jazz trumpeter. Tunnell has worked with Yukihiro Takahashi, Laurie Anderson, Steps Ahead, and Membe ...

(1-3): Guitar/Vocal * Will Campbell: Alto Saxophone/flute/clarinet/soprano sax *Tim Ishii: Alto Saxophone/flute/clarinet *

Mario Cruz Mario Cruz is a New York City-area saxophone player with a number of credits to his name. He is perhaps best known for playing on Bruce Springsteen's 1988 Tunnel of Love Express tour. He also played with Willy DeVille Willy DeVille (born Wi ...

: Tenor Saxophone/clarinet *Chris McGuire: Tenor Saxophone/clarinet *Paul Baker: Baritone Saxophone/bass clarinet *Keith Jourdan (lead), David Spencer, Larry Spencer, Mike Steinel: Trumpet and flugelhorn *Anthony Williams (lead), Tony Baker, Greg Waits, John Wasson (bass): Trombone *Noel Johnstone: Guitar *Piano: Steve Snyder *

Lynn Seaton Lynn Seaton (born July 18, 1957 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a jazz double bass, bassist associated with bebop and Swing music, swing. He has appeared on over 125 albums, including ''Nirvana (Pizzarelli album), Nirvana'' by Bucky Pizzarelli, and the G ...

(5, 6 and 8): Acoustic bass *Jeff Plant (1-3): Electric bass * José Rossy: percussion Track 7 * Scott Kinsey: Keyboards * Jeff Plant: Electric bass *

(1-3): Guitar/Vocal *

: Tenor Saxophone * José Rossy: percussion Tracks 9, 11 *Alto Saxophone/soprano sax: Travis Ranney *Richard Cole: Tenor Saxophone/baritone Saxophone *Stephen Friel (11): Baritone Saxophone *Brad Allison (9), Keith Jordan (11): Trumpet/flugelhorn *Dan Marcus (9), Scott Whitfield (11): Trombone *Brian Monroney: Guitar *John Hansen (9): Piano *Barry Aiken (11): Keyboards *Rick White (11): Bass *Brad Dutz (9): Percussion Tracks 4, 10 *Larry Panella: Flutes *Brad Dutz: Percussion *John Hansen: Piano *Scott Steed (10): Acoustic bass *Chris Symer (4): Bass Track 12 *Wayne Peet: Piano *Brad Dutz: Percussion *Joel Hamilton: Bass

Production

* John Bishop: Executive Producer *Michael Waldrop: Producer *Tim Reppert: Associate Producer *Kent Stump,

, Michael Lewis, Dave Dysart, Steve Gamberoni, Paul Nowell, Anthony Panella, Wentoa Xing: Recording engineers *Tim Reppert: Editing and mix engineer (Soundtrack Studios, Boston and REP Studio, Ithaca, NY.) * Scott Kinsey: Mastering *Michael Waldrop: Liner notes * John Bishop: Cover design and layout *Daniel Pardo and Ivana Cojbasic: Liner photographs:

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* * *
''Origin Suite''
at Origin Records * *
Michael Waldrop's website
{{Authority control Jazz albums by American artists 2018 albums Big band albums 2010s instrumental albums Origin Records albums