Yoko Yates: Eternal Moments

On her second album, Japanese-born, New York City-based pianist and composer Yoko Yates, ever the genial story-teller, presents ten of her elegant original compositions. Based on feelings and emotions she has experienced while living and working in and around the New York area, they encompass a wide range of phenomena—from outer space and a serpentine river to seasonal changes and even the penultimate day of a flower.

Yates leads her quintet along an avenue whose bedrock is for the most part smooth and rarefied, a low-pressure excursion with enhanced symmetry thanks to the mindfulness of flutist Jamie Baum and woodwind specialist Sam Sadigursky who plays clarinet, bass clarinet and alto sax. Baum and Sadigursky performed the same duties on Yates' debut album, Mystic Nights (Steeplechase Records, 2022), as did bassist Aryeh Kobrinsky and drummer Jeff Hirshfield.

Yates has a keen ear for handsome melodies, which she leaves mainly in the capable hands of Sadigursky—who plays bass clarinet on most numbers—and Baum. Yates solos sparely, preferring to add rhythmic counterpoint in support of the front-liners. That works well, as Sadigursky and Baum are proficient ad libbers with abundant creativity and charm. Sadigursky is especially adept at using the bass clarinet's upper register to press home his improvisational perspective.

As noted, Yates' compositions tend to be light and lyrical, lending themselves well to the quintet's flute and woodwind makeup. Kobrinsky and Hirshfield play their parts well, providing a rhythmic bedrock that is free of bombast or intrusion. Yates is the glue that holds the enterprise together, both compositionally and musically, comping with assurance behind every solo and stepping to the front gracefully whenever needed (as, for example, on "The Flower Before Its Last Day," "Winding River" or "Winter Calls").

This is lovely music, splendidly performed by Yates and her teammates who are always in lock-step and on the same seductive page. If pleasant and beautiful jazz is your preference, Eternal Moments was conceived and arranged with you in mind.

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