Eri Yamamoto
Duologue
AUM Fidelity Records (www.aumfidelity.com)
AUM048 CD
To date, pianist Eri Yamamoto has focused on recording as a leader in the piano trio format. On Duologue, she records a series of duets with some of the finest avant-jazz players active today. Yamamoto’s work features limpid harmonies and clearly articulated melodic gestures. The slightly stripped down format of Duologue favors both her compositional and playing styles.
On “Thank You,” drummer Federico Ughi makes his presence felt without ever overwhelming the pianist’s swirl of delicate verticals. Saxophonist Daniel Carter engages Yamamoto in an Impressionist, somewhat Ravellian but still swinging, “Conversation.” “Midtown Blues” is a duet with frame drummer Hamid Drake; it incorporates the percussionist’s nimble polyrhythms and a spate of Stravinskyian piano ostinati into a bluesy overall construct. Bassist William Parker and Yamamoto create wonderfully lyrical music together on the ballad “Muse.” Duologue is a successful departure for the pianist: one that would be well worth repeating on a subsequent release.
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