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Jazz Articles about Yelena Eckemoff
Yelena Eckemoff: Lions
by Tyran Grillo
Pianist Yelena Eckemoff, a melodic marvel whose gift for atmosphere has been apparent from the beginning, has never felt comfortable settling into a single definition. Rooted in classicalism yet never bound by its strictures, she has carved a singular path through the world of jazz, guided by a restless imagination that treats genre as porous terrain rather than fenced land. Her music arises from a place where labels dissolve and instinct takes over, a place recognized immediately by tender-minded musicians ...
Continue ReadingYelena Eckemoff: Romance of the Moon
by Neri Pollastri
Yelena Eckemoff, prolifica e camaleontica compositrice russa da anni residente negli U.S.A., è usa mutare con frequenza collaboratori, adattando le proprie composizioni al loro stile e alla loro cultura. Questo suo ultimo album, intitolato Romance of the Moon, sebbene sia ispirato alla poesia di Federico Garcia Lorca, è di fatto un lavoro “italiano," essendo realizzato nel nostro Paese (in particolare, registrato a nel giugno del 2023 a Mantova e poi missato a Udine negli studi Artesuono di Stefano Amerio) assieme ...
Continue ReadingYelena Eckemoff: Romance of the Moon
by Doug Collette
Comparable to the rare and valuable likes of a first edition book worth treasuring, Yelena Eckemoff's Romance of the Moon is no small achievement. The keyboardist/composer creates music as vivid as the images in her own paintings that adorn the inside and out of the CD package, all of which graphics (as well as those in the enclosed booklet) appear in a glossy finish. And that corresponds to the polish of the production of a baker's dozen compositions ...
Continue ReadingYelena Eckemoff And Cory Smythe: Imagination Unbound
by Doug Collette
Yelena Eckemoff and Cory Smythe have configured mirror images in music that reflect global mindsets of race, gender and class in the wake of COVID lockdowns and in the midst of climate change (among other controversies). The former postulates an insular existence populated only by a single individual and a sole figure with whom he finds empathy, while the latter formulates a world vision from a single point of view scanning the boundaries of culture(s). In keeping with the various ...
Continue ReadingNew Music From Yelena Eckemoff, Arturo O'Farrill, Lauren Henderson, Melissa Pipe, Cecilia Smith & More
by Mary Foster Conklin
This broadcast includes new releases from pianists Yelena Eckemoff, Arturo O'Farrill, vibraphonist Cecilia Smith, vocalist Lauren Henderson, saxophonist Melissa Pipe and a special song cycle by lyricist David Hajdu featuring Theo Bleckmann, Alicia Olatuja and Dan Tepfer, plus birthday shoutouts to Roxy Coss, Wendy Kirkland, Judy Wexler, Rosa Passos, Kendra Shank and Lara Downes, among others. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by seeing them live and online. Purchase their music so they can continue to ...
Continue ReadingYelena Eckemoff: Lonely Man and His Fish
by Dan McClenaghan
A Moscow-raised, classically-trained pianist, Yelena Eckemoff made the move to the United States in 1991, after being bitten by the jazz bug via a Dave Brubeck concert she attended in Moscow in 1987. In 2010, after settling with her family in rural North Carolina, she released Cold Sun (L & H Records), a trio outing featuring bassist Mads Vinding and drummer Peter Erskine. She followed up this fine debut with several more albums, all on her L & H Label, ...
Continue ReadingYelena Eckemoff: I Am a Stranger in This World
by Mark Sullivan
Russian-born pianist/composer Yelena Eckemoff began setting verses from the Bible's Book of Psalms shortly after her conversion to Christianity, even before her emigration to the United States. But she waited until she had considerable experience working with jazz musicians before producing her jazz arrangements. They were first recorded on her album Better Than Gold and Silver [L&H Production, 2018], which presented ten Psalm settings in both vocal and instrumental versions. The detailed story of how Yelena Eckemoff came to set ...
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