Two piano trios, each led by an artist new to me, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto and Henry Hey, speak the same language, but in quite different dialects.
Two Threes with New Releases
Tag Archives: joe martin
French Soprano Saxophonist Émile Parisien Delivers
I first encountered French saxophonist Émile Parisien on an album titled XXXX (ACT), released last year. (I’m a little late to the party—OK, very late, since Parisien has recordings going back as far as 2014 at least.) XXXX is an impressive live recording—five stars in Downbeat—from the quartet of Michael Wollney, Parisien, Tim Lefebre, and Christian Lillinger, but the high level of anxiety it induced in me might keep it out of my CD player for a while. I did, however, take note of Parisien, whose musicality and humanity stood out across every track, whatever the mood or tempo. A name to remember, I thought, and then his latest recording, Louise, appeared in my post box. It confirmed my first impression—in spades.
Two New (to Me) Pianists Light Up My Ears
Pianists Art Hirahara and Mara Rosenbloom remind me how little I know about the jazz world. Though I’ve been writing about it in one place or another for almost 20 years, it still has many pleasant surprises in store for me. The latest recordings by each of these pianists are prime examples.
