Best of 2019 #41: Eri Yamamoto Trio and Choral Chameleon – “Goshu Ondo Suite”

Writing about this album for The Bandcamp Daily, I stated, “Even in the context of a modern jazz scene where so much is unconventional, this recording from pianist Eri Yamamoto stands out.”  And it does.  This live performance of Eri Yamamoto is a meeting point between modern jazz and Japanese folk, of her jazz trio and the choir Choral Chameleon.  This meeting point is one of collision.  There is no seamless confluence of different streams of influence here, and it’s this quality that makes the album so thrilling.  It is no different than attempting to pleasantly enjoy the soft twinkling of stars for their peaceful ambiance while simultaneously ruminate on how massive these stars truly are, that they are each a sun, emitting massive amounts of light across great distances, and that some are mere embers of what they once were by the time that light reaches our nighttime sky.  The combination of thoughts big and small, casual and consequential is the seven part Goshu Ondo Suite.

Your album personnel:  Eri Yamamoto (piano), David Ambrosio (bass), Ikuo Takeuchi (drums) and the Choral Chameleon choir.

Released on Aum Fidelity.

Music from New York City.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp – Amazon