A jazz musician is by nature an explorer at heart, but it
always helps to have a few fellow adventurers at your side. On her new album,
pianist Yoko Miwa sets out to navigate a few new Pathways with the help of her
longstanding and deeply harmonious trio. With more than a decade and a half
together, the Boston-based group showcases the unique ability to wander down
diverging trails without ever losing sight of their shared destination.
On Pathways, due out May 12, 2017 on Ocean Blue Tear Music,
Miwa is joined by bassist Will Slater (with Brad Barrett stepping in for one
track) and drummer Scott Goulding. The remarkable telepathy they share has been
developed over 15 years and countless hours logged on the bandstand, not to
mention the accompanying personal bonds (Miwa and Goulding are married, after
all).
"When we play together, it comes out as one
sound," Miwa says. "That's the best part of working together all the
time. I'm very comfortable with these guys because they know my playing and I
know them very well."
It's been nearly five years since the release of Miwa's last
album, Act Naturally (JVC Victor), but she's been far from inactive in the
interim. On the contrary, she's one of the busiest artists on the thriving
Boston jazz scene, playing regularly at renowned local venues the Regattabar
and Scullers as well as venues worldwide. Locally, the trio is a constant
presence with three area residencies that keep them busy every weekend they're
at home. On Fridays they can be found at the Central Square sushi bar and jazz
club Thelonious Monkfish, where Goulding serves as music director and Miwa
helped select the stunning Yamaha piano. Saturdays they play at the wine bar
Les Zygomates, as they have for the last 12 years, while their Sunday brunch
gig at Cambridge BBQ joint Ryles dates back even further.
That impressive calendar means that the trio has had plenty
of time not only to try out new material but to explore each piece over time.
"We play each song a little bit differently every time," Miwa says.
"It really helps develop the music. If we only did concerts once a month
in front of big audiences, I don't think we'd feel the same way or that I'd
play the same way that I do now."
The repertoire that Miwa traverses on Pathways ranges
widely, from the classic songs of The Beatles and Joni Mitchell to a pair of
rarely (if ever) reprised pieces by legendary Bill Evans Trio bassist Marc
Johnson, originally recorded solo. The album's highlights, though, are Miwa's
gorgeous originals, which combine lively melodies, a delicate touch, and lush
harmonies - the same qualities that she brings to her improvisations.
The album opens with the gospel-flavored chords that Miwa
uses on Johnson's "Log O'Rhythm," and centers on the piano-bass
dialogue between the leader and her "favorite bassist," Slater, who
doesn't play with the trio as regularly since moving to New York City. The
reunion here shows that the pair have lost none of their brilliant chemistry.
Slater is also featured on Johnson's other contribution, "After You,"
where he agilely articulates the song's memorably nimble melody. Both tunes
have become favorites at the trio's shows, and have received Johnson's own
stamp of approval.
Driven by Goulding's intricate powerful rhythms, Miwa's
"Lickety Split" lives up to its title with its brisk pacing and McCoy
Tyner influenced forcefulness. Falling on the other end of the sonic spectrum,
"Lantern Light" begins with a movingly lyrical solo piano intro,
gaining momentum as Goulding and Slater enter, capturing both the warm glow and
lonely isolation of a single lamp carried through a dark night. Its fragile
beauty is all the more remarkable given the fact that Miwa wrote it quickly, in
a sudden burst of inspiration, during a break between students at Berklee
College of Music - without a piano nearby.
The playful swing of "The Goalkeeper" was inspired
by a frequent visitor to the Miwa household - their neighbors' cat, who drops
in often for a bit of food and play. His flawless ability to bat back a ball
thrown by Miwa gave the piece its name, while the adorable feline has become a
surrogate pet for her and Goulding following the loss of their own beloved cat.
The last of the pianist's compositions, "Was It Something I Said?" is
a sly blues imbued with the wry humor of the waiter whose teasing riposte Miwa
borrowed for the title.
"Joni Mitchell's music is very beautiful and very
unique," Miwa says, two elements beautifully captured in the trio's
version of "Court and Spark," which luxuriates in the songwriter's
compelling harmonies. The album ends with a melancholy take on the Beatles
classic "Dear Prudence," which features the trio's current Boston
bassist, Brad Barrett. "Everybody knows the Beatles' songs very well, so
you don't want to change them too much and upset their fans," Miwa says
with a laugh. "'Dear Prudence' is very simple but very powerful."
Integral to capturing the heartfelt communication forged by
the trio was Miwa's insistence that they play together in the studio, not
divided into isolation booths. Their spontaneity and spark found an ideal
setting at Wellspring Sound Studios in Acton, Massachusetts, where they worked
closely with engineer Matt Hayes. "It's almost like a live recording,"
Miwa says proudly. "I feel really uncomfortable separated into different
rooms where you can't really see each other. Of course you can't go back and
fix things, but I love the feeling of playing in the same room and our energy
together."
A favorite at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Miwa was chosen to
play on "Marian McPartland & Friends" a special concert as part
of the Coca Cola Generations in Jazz Festival.
She was also chosen to perform at Lincoln Center's annual Jazz and
Leadership Workshop for The National Urban League's Youth Summit. Miwa also performs regularly at New York's
famed Blue Note Jazz Club and has performed and/or recorded with a wide range
of jazz greats including Sheila Jordan, Slide Hampton, Arturo Sandoval, George
Garzone, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lynne
Carrington, Kevin Mahogany, John Lockwood and Johnathan Blake among
others. Miwa is a Yamaha artis
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