Jazz Etc. / Paul de Barros
Duo behind Origin Records opening doors for local artists

Origin Records co-owners John Bishop, left, and Matt Jorgensen have found success running OriginArts, which brings local jazz artists to the Triple Door.

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OriginArts, the 7-year-old juggernaut behind the prolific local jazz label Origin Records, continues to defy conventional wisdom.

First of all, nobody seems to have told partners John Bishop and Matt Jorgensen, both drummers, that two drummers aren't supposed to be able to get along on the same bandstand. But there they are, running OriginArts, adding new projects all the time.

One of their most successful ventures so far is Monday jazz night at the Triple Door. Presenting local jazz has daunted many presenters, including Earshot, Jazz Alley and Tula's. But this weekly showcase of regional talent regularly draws 40 to 50 fans to the sleek downtown club's smaller room, the Musicquarium.

Monday's show features Jorgensen's band, +451, with saxophonist Matt Otto, an old pal of Jorgensen's from their days at the New School in New York. Mark Taylor (sax) and Jeff Johnson (bass) round out the group. Otto, who now lives in Los Angeles, wrote several tunes on Jorgensen's Origin releases, "Quiet Silence" and "Hope," and recently appeared with a nonet led by Diana Krall guitarist Anthony Wilson.

The band begins playing at 7:30 and the price is right: free. If you arrive before 7 p.m., you can enjoy happy-hour drinks and Asian-style appetizers for $3; bargain appetizers are available again from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Though the room has no real stage, stage lighting or piano, and a concrete pillar obstructs the view from several seats, somehow, this place has acquired an intimate ambience and favored-venue status among musicians.

"This is my favorite place to hear music in Seattle," declared trombonist Dave Marriott Monday, sitting at the bar, drinking in the sounds of Seattle saxophonist Rich Cole's group.

"The place conveys the feeling that it's a lounge," remarked Jorgensen, "with the music in the background. But if you look around, you see that people are listening, which is very gratifying."

Origin Mondays feature Origin Records artists exclusively, which is not as clubby as it sounds, when you consider the label has now issued 80 albums, with another 18 on its subsidiary label OA2. Origin artists include Marc Seales and New Stories, Greta Matassa, the Jim Knapp Orchestra, Steve Korn, the Deardorf/Peterson Group, Phil Sparks, Laura Welland, Reuben Radding, the Jazz Police, the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra and Marco de Carvalho.
 
Bishop and Jorgensen seem unable to resist new projects. This past spring, they took on publishing and editing chores for Allaboutjazz Seattle, a print affiliate of www.allaboutjazz.com, the best jazz site on the Web. They distribute 4,000 copies of the local jazz tabloid to 115 locations.

"It's pretty frustrating to work as a jazz musician and just feel anonymous," said Bishop. "All our stories get picked up by the national Web site, so this is really a global audience."

Their little label, Origin Records, is getting national recognition, too. Saxophonist Kim Richmond's Concert Jazz Orchestra album, "Refractions," was nominated for a 2003 Grammy Award.

With the advent last fall of Origin's Ballard Jazz Festival, it's fair to ask if they are competing with Seattle's jazz nonprofit, Earshot.

"Some people asked us that when we started the festival," said Bishop. "But we're not. We're adding. It's not an adversarial relationship. We have a dialogue with [Earshot director John] Gilbreath. He's been very helpful to us."

Origin and Earshot have been discussing some collaborations at the Earshot Jazz Festival this fall.

You can find out more about OriginArts — including the full lineup at the Triple Door — at its Web site (www.originarts.com).

Paul de Barros: 206-464-3247 or pdebarros@seattletimes.com