Amina Figarova: Above the Clouds

Amina Figarova—an Azerbaijan-born and now Rotterdam-based artist—boasts a graceful and erudite piano style, but her second instrument is her band. She composes and arranges adeptly for her "three horn front line and a rhythm section" ensemble on Above the Clouds, using the same instrumental make-up that she employed in her marvelous September Suite (Munich Records, 2005), the artist's response to the tragedy of 9/11, and Come Escape With Me (Munich Records, 2005).

Above the Clouds continues with the post-bop sound established by Figarova on the earlier sextet recordings. Her piano touch is light and fluid, in the mode of Herbie Hancock; but her "second instrument" approach is reminiscent—on a smaller scale—of what Maria Schneider has done on Sky Blue (ArtistShare, 2007) and Concert in the Garden (ArtistShare, 2004)—using her band to tell her stories, creating venues for top-level soloing.

The somewhat unusual use of flute in the front line—alongside trumpet and tenor sax—lightens the harmonies, giving them an aspect of floating above often swinging, sometimes world-music rhythms.

The palette broadens on two of Figarova's tunes—"Sailing Through The Icy Waters" and "River of Mountains"—with the addition of trombone and alto sax, enriching the ensemble the sound, and pointing toward her next project, an evocation of Henry Hudson's North American voyage of discovery four hundred years ago.

A first rate jazz pianist, Amina Figarova—with September Suite, Come Escape With Me and now the excellent Above the Clouds—is staking out her ground as a top level composer/arranger.