Sumi Tonooka Trio

Sumi Tonooka Trio: Long Ago Today

by Jerry D'Souza
May 12, 2008

Circumstance is not always kind, decreeing course and matter. In the case of pianist Sumi Tonooka, circumstance dictated that she wait for ten years before she had the opportunity to record as a leader. The last time she did so was in 1999 on Secret Places, released on Kenny Barron's label, Joken Records.

Tonooka plays with a strong commitment to melody and improvisation. She gets into the nectar of a tune and then draws out all of its ...