Yuki Yamamura: View of 124

Japanese bassist Yuki Yamamura and his trio mates, pianist Junichiro Mataga and drummer Yosuke Nagayama, cut their teeth in Japan, studying jazz from an early age with top Japanese player-teachers. They now live in New York, soaking up and contributing to the sounds of the great city, taking in the View of 124. 124th Street that is, south end of Harlem. Their paths parallel those of generations of young jazz musicians from all over the world.

Yamamura penned all the compositions on View of 124, his self-produced debut release. One of the most poignant is his "Oriental Waltz," which "evokes a sense of nostalgia for Japan." The song "reflects the atmosphere of the Asian district in New York," he writes. The lovely melody is a pentatonic-blues-scale hybrid, which Mataga delicately ornaments in a way that seems more Japanese than jazz. In the solo section, the trio expand their palette timbrally, rhythmically and dynamically during Mataga's improvisation. After a long crescendo that leads to a throbbing climax, the volume drops back down to the interior-voice quiet of the opening melody, along with its ethos of saudade. The piece ends with an open cadence, a question mark. Why not? The journey continues.