Jazz Articles about Eri Yamamoto

William Parker / Raining On The Moon: Corn Meal Dance

by Glenn Astarita
October 19, 2007

New York bassist/composer/poet and bandleader William Parker stands tall among the crème de la crème of great musical minds and instrumentalists. Corn Meal Dance, featuring his group Raining On The Moon, further instills a mystical framework that seems to yield notions of a sense of oneness, regardless of ensemble size or musical direction. These qualities ring loud and clear on this downright beautiful jazz recording, designed with lyrical content that touches upon existentialism, spirituality and sociopolitical musings.

Vocalist ...

William Parker / Raining On The Moon: Corn Meal Dance

by Troy Collins
September 17, 2007

Bassist, composer, Vision Festival organizer and all-around Renaissance man William Parker is a man of many talents, from solo bass recitalist to big band leader. Raining On The Moon, his lyrical group, features the vocal talents of Leena Conquest, singing Parker's words like they were her own. Based on the same line-up as his long-standing quartet (altoist Rob Brown, trumpeter Lewis Barnes and drummer Hamid Drake), this variation featured on Corn Meal Dance adds a new voice, pianist Eri Yamamoto. ...

Eri Yamamoto: Cobalt Blue

by Terrell Kent Holmes
October 15, 2006

Eri Yamamoto's two previous releases, Three Feel (Jane Street, 2003) and Colors (Jane Street, 2004), displayed her prowess as a pianist, composer and arranger. Her contribution to Thirsty Ear's Blue Series, Cobalt Blue, marks a significant change in her musical landscape. She's managed to step up her game further by adding new dimensions to her already formidable skills. “Melodica Chops is taken at an accelerated waltz tempo, and the use of space and time is strong throughout, ...

Eri Yamamoto: Cobalt Blue

by James Taylor
July 31, 2006

Cobalt Blue is not your average piano trio record, because Eri Yamamoto is not your average pianist. Nonetheless, throughout the record, we are greeted with familiar phrases in voices that remind us of old friends--Keith Jarrett with DeJohnette on standards, even a little Evans or Gershwin. Lots of McCoy Tyner. Yamamoto's music is equal parts playfully light and adventuresome.Yamamoto is Osaka-born and classically bred, never having played a lick of jazz until her arrival in New York City, ...

Eri Yamamoto: Cobalt Blue

by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
July 11, 2006

When the Bad Plus covered Nirvana's “Smells Like Teen Spirit" a few years back, it sounded (a little) like a long-lost track from John Coltrane's rhythm section; thus did the Love Supreme virus erupt in the least likely of contexts. Pianist Eri Yamamoto's Cobalt Blue, a trio performance with bassist David Ambrosio and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi, has more than a touch of the virus, too. The trio sounds a little like the Bad Plus in that respect, ...

Eri Yamamoto Trio: Colors

by Terrell Kent Holmes
January 31, 2005

Colors , the newest offering by pianist and Arthur's Tavern regular Eri Yamamoto, is comprised primarily of striking originals, entitled with Chaplinesque brevity and marked by an eloquent use of understatement, giving Yamamoto, drummer Ikuo Takeuchi, and bassist Ben Street generous space in which they can all work effectively.

The funky “Orange Juice" starts things off, with Yamamoto dancing around the edges of the constantly shifting melody, then soloing with a soft intensity as Takeuchi and Street build a strong ...

Eri Yamamoto: Three Feel

by Terrell Kent Holmes
October 17, 2003

As the denizens of Arthur's Tavern in Greenwich Village undoubtedly know, pianist Eri Yamamoto is one of jazz's most dynamic new talents. Her new CD, Three Feel, gives the listener an idea of what her audiences are treated to each week. Joining her on this trio date are drummer Ikuo Takeuchi and bassist Alan Hampton. Yamamoto's singular approach to playing is evident from jump as she opens with a fabulously dynamic and up-tempo rendition of John Coltrane's, ...