Glass Song

Ingo J. Biermann for Nordische Musik

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Glass song
(2012, L&H Production / In-Akustik cd806151-18)

Yelena Eckemoff’s fifth album on her label L&H was also her fourth with Scandinavian musicians. This was preceded by trio recordings with Mats Eilertsen and Marilyn Mazur (“FORGET-ME-NOT”) in Copenhagen in 2011, and in 2010 even three trio albums with different line-ups were recorded – two of them with Peter Erskine (one with Darek Oleszkiewisz on bass, the other Mal Mads Vinding), another with Vinding and Morten Lund. Regardless of this, »GLASS SONG« was the first to put the name »Yelena Eckemoff Trio« on the cover. Perhaps she felt that she had achieved a particularly cohesive collective effort here.

As is usually the case, this album was created on the basis of a composed suite with a thematic-conceptual thread. But even if the focus on the ice motif, in contrast to Eckemoff’s other concept albums, seems quite immaterial as a topic, the magically transparent music fully corresponds to this idea. Arild Andersen (Eckemoff’s first of so far five strong albums with the Norwegian bass old master) and Peter Erskine, who became known as the Weather Report drummer and later enthusiastic with a number of famous ECM trio albums, play the almost 75 minutes first-class very calmly, very clearly Jazz trio pieces that undoubtedly deserve a perfect home at ECM (and accordingly have reached more music lovers). A fantastic trio, and yet it speaks for the boss that she dares a new line-up with each album and has not rested on this success afterwards. (ijb)

Original German:

Glass Song
(2012, L & H Production/In-Akustik cd806151-18)

Yelena Eckemoffs fünftes Album ihres Labels L&H war zugleich ihr bereits viertes mit skandinavischen Musikern. Vorangegangen waren zuletzt Trioaufnahmen mit Mats Eilertsen und Marilyn Mazur (»FORGET-ME-NOT«) in Kopenhagen 2011, und 2010 waren sogar drei Trioalben in anderen Besetzungen eingespielt worden – zwei davon mit Peter Erskine (einmal mit Darek Oleszkiewisz am Bass, das andere Mal Mads Vinding), ein weiteres mit Vinding und Morten Lund. Doch all dessen ungeachtet war »GLASS SONG« das erste, bei dem sie den Namen »Yelena Eckemoff Trio« aufs Cover schrieb. Vielleicht fühlte sie, dass ihr hier ein ganz besonders geschlossenes Gemeinschaftswerk gelungen war.

Wie zumeist entstand auch dieses Album auf Grundlage einer komponierten Suite mit einem thematisch-konzeptuellen Faden. Doch auch wenn der Fokus auf Eismotivik im Gegensatz zu Eckemoffs anderen Konzeptalben recht immateriell scheint als Thema, die zauberhaft transparente Musik entspricht diesem Gedanken vollauf. Sehr ruhig, sehr klar spielen Arild Andersen (Eckemoffs erstes von bislang fünf starken Alben mit dem norwegischen Bass-Altmeister) und der als Weather-Report-Schlagzeuger bekannt gewordene und später mit einer Reihe famoser ECM-Trioalben begeisternde Peter Erskine die fast 75 Minuten erstklassiger Jazztrio-Stücke, die ohne Frage auch bei ECM ein perfektes Zuhause verdient (und entsprechend mehr Musikfreunde erreicht) hätten. Ein traumhaftes Trio, und doch spricht es für die Chefin, dass sie mit jedem Album eine neue Besetzung wagt und sich auch in der Folge nicht auf diesem Erfolg ausgeruht hat. (ijb)

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Vittorio Lo Conte for Music Zoom

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In this trio of Russian pianist Yelena Eckemoff we find two famous musicians who are present on various engravings of the ECM catalog, but never played together. The bassist Arild Andersen and Peter Erskine form a very special trio with its own identity, based on compositions of the leader, who leaves the right space for sideman to improvise. Yelena is an expert composer who knows how best to use the talents of the musicians she collaborates with: the long flywheels of the double bass, the subtle play of the drum, everything perfectly enters a disc that is repeatedly listened with pleasure, despite the length that is over seventy minutes. There is something magical in these executions, very different from those of contemporary colleagues such as Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch, but also of similar style musicians like Bobo Stenson.

She has a special way of describing emotions in music, and here she tries for the first time to write in the booklet of poems in tune with the atmosphere of the songs. They are verses in a style that reminds the Italian Crepuscles, Gozzano, Marino Moretti and the others, always, even with irony, to the small things of everyday life. The disc runs easily, without repetition, it is a journey into music, and words, if you read the booklet, which flows between the ice that melts off the first track and the March rain that ends the disc, between mists, moss, dreams, sunny days. There are so many emotions and sensations that surround and involve the listener.

Original Italian:

In questa incisione in trio della pianista russa Yelena Eckemoff troviamo due famosi musicisti che sono presenti in diverse incisioni del catalogo ECM ma che mai si sono trovati a suonare insieme. Il contrabbassista Arild Andersen e Peter Erskine formano insieme a lei un trio molto speciale, con una sua identità basata sulle composizioni della leader, che però lascia il giusto spazio ai sideman per improvvisare. Lei è una compositrice esperta che sa utilizzare al meglio le doti dei musicisti con cui collabora: le lunghe volate di note del contrabbasso, il sottile gioco della batteria, tutto si incastra a perfezione in un disco che si ascolta ripetutamente con piacere nonostante la lunghezza, sono più di settanta minuti. C’è qualcosa di magico in queste esecuzioni, molto diverse da quelle di colleghi contemporanei come Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch, ma anche da musicisti dallo stile più simile, come Bobo Stenson.

Lei ha un modo speciale di descrivere le emozioni in musica, e qui prova per la prima volta a scrivere nel booklet delle poesie in sintonia con le atmosfere dei brani. Sono versi in uno stile che ricorda i Crepuscolari italiani, Gozzano, Marino Moretti e gli altri, sempre appresso, anche con ironia, alle piccole cose della vita quotidiana. Il disco scorre con facilità, senza ripetizioni, è un viaggio in musica, e parole, se si legge il booklet, che scorre fra il ghiaccio che si scioglie del primo brano e la pioggia di marzo che conclude il disco, fra nebbie, foschie, sogni, giornate di sole. Tante emozioni e tante sensazioni che avvolgono e coinvolgono l’ascoltatore.

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Carol Banks Weber for Medium

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Everything about Yelena Eckemoff’s “Glass Song” works, from the fragile jazz/classical music, exquisitely rendered, to the CD’s front cover, depicting the essence of the original pieces. 

“Everything from the West was prohibited at that time, and jazz was one of those things. But there was a jazz studio formed by some activists who were also professional musicians and we studied traditional jazz. I used jazz principles in my composing, which put me on a different path from other musicians.” –Yelena Eckemoff

Jazz is a listener’s music. Whether you sit still and groove to an artfully composed trajectory, or you’re onstage with other musicians trying to bounce ideas off one another in real time, jazz depends on the ability to hear and translate everyday form into extraordinary soundtrack.

Moscow-born pianist and composer Yelena Eckemoff, together with her dream recording band — American percussionist Peter Erskine (Weather Report, Steps Ahead, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell) and Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen (Jan Garbarek Quartet, ECM) — do just this in the Feb. 19, 2013 release, Glass Song.

Released in the dead of winter, Glass Song delves into the first crack of ice as the warming sun heralds the promise and hope of spring and new life. These are concepts Eckemoff understands well. She’s lived them, as a Russian refugee.

The classically trained concert pianist couldn’t take the hard life of the Soviet Union any longer and fled to America with her husband, forced to leave behind their three children briefly. Imagine the hearbreak. “That was the hardest thing I ever did, but we had the drive to leave Russia. It was a very hard and scary thing to do, but it worked out and we never regretted it. It ended up helping me in my musical development because I had much deeper spiritual experiences because of it.”

Those deeper spiritual experiences are in every original composition from this L&H Production. Glass Song is a reflection of Eckemoff’s two passions: the classical music she was raised on and the jazz she wasn’t allowed to listen to in the Soviet Union, but listened to anyway, as a part of a group of musical activists. “Everything from the West was prohibited at that time, and jazz was one of those things,” Eckemoff remembered. “But there was a jazz studio formed by some activists who were also professional musicians and we studied traditional jazz. I used jazz principles in my composing, which put me on a different path from other musicians.”

Eckemoff chose well when she aligned herself with the likes of Erskine and Andersen, two masters of intimate, intuitive, interactive in-depth jazz. They morph their instruments into whatever Eckemoff’s compositions require to pull off an exquisite, fragile, reflective vision of the human quest for freedom.

Eckemoff, Erskine, and Andersen do what many jazz stars purport to do. They really look at the object of the song, the point of inspiration, and they let it tell them what to play — all while holding a loose but loving grip on a faint, fluid, and unforgettable melody. “March Rain” is a living example of this uncanny ability. The musicians fairly disappear into each rain drop with delicate thunder, illustrating wordlessly the immense stories between the formation and the fall.

Most of the “Glass Songs” seem on the surface to reflect nature, “Melting Ice,” “Cloud Break,” “Dripping Icicles,” “Sunny Day In The Woods…” But Eckemoff would like the listener to lean in and hear more. “I get inspired by nature a lot, because everything comes from nature. But the observation of nature isn’t really my priority. I’ve had very, very rich experiences in my life, and the music I write expresses those feelings.”

Eckemoff translates her life experiences through the analogy of nature, humanizing the icicles, rain, clouds, and sun to reflect her own turmoil as an émigré and a survivor. She uses the harsh, relentless cold of winter that could represent the Soviet Union’s iron-fisted rule over its enslaved citizens, and the approaching spring as their way out. “The same way as spring is always certain to replace even the most severe winter, hope is eternally present in the least favorable situations and in all circumstances of life,” she said.

The title track is a perfect reflection of Eckemoff’s organic style, intrinsically sensitive nature, and ability to humanize her environment for the greater social message. It sounds like glass breaking free, finding a voice, and singing. Eckemoff took glasses filled with water to emphasize that feeling. The somber piano melody underplaying the miraculous movement of glass contrasts a sense of death with the burgeoning signs of life.

“Polarity” initially comes off as highly esoteric, perhaps better in a highbrow museum tucked away behind bulletproof glass. The music features high arch symbolism in the spare, dire creep of cymbal and the halting, timid sidestep of piano. But soon, the under-pinings of restlessness become transparent, as Andersen slips in on the rolling bass, tempting the others to drop the cold formality of polite, buttoned-up classicism in favor of free-form jazz improvisation — snuck in from the back, breaking the spell.

“Dripping Icicles” follows, almost a continuum to the tentative jazz steps, allowing Eckemoff to do a lot more on the piano, showing that transition from her classical upbringing to the freeing “corruption” of jazz. She handles her solos throughout this piece quite well, filling each space between the bass and the drums with a modern ballet, at once cascading and stomping in place. The bass and drums take turns, in a fine straight-ahead dance all their own.

“Some people dance, some people sing, some people write,” Eckemoff described. “When I feel something, I compose. It’s almost like I can’t stop it. My head is always filled with music. If I couldn’t write music I think I would just explode. Life is sometimes sad, but I find escape in writing music. I’m happy because I can do it.”

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Kerriopolis for Amazon.com

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Title: this is one of the best piano trio albums I have ever heard

Simply put, this is one of the best piano trio albums I have ever heard, and I am a big fan of Stenson, Jarrett, Taylor, Gustavsen, Wasilewski, and Bollani. Great playing, great composing, great production. If you love piano trios in particular, or jazz in general, you owe it to yourself to hear this gem.

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Robert Ratajczak for Long Play

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Yelena Eckemoff’s new album “Glass Song” is done in format of the acoustic trio. The classically trained pianist has joined forces with spectacular rhythm section: on the double bass is Arild Andersen from the prestigious ECM label and on percussion is excellent Peter Erskine, most recently heard on Dave Slonaker’s “Intrada “(2013). (“Glass Song” is the third album Eckemoff recorded with Erskine.)

Yelena Eckemoff is a classically trained pianist, who in recent years has moved boldly and with a great effect to jazz music.

The pianist’s jazz work, however, strictly follows the principles set by herself only. It is free from the influences of classic jazz keyboard masters, and shows her personal way into improvised music.

The album – comprised of ten original compositions by the pianist – is largely dominated the sound of Andersen’s double bass, the mood of pieces is exceptionally gentle and sensitive, melodies are subtle clearly pointing towards Eckemoff’s classical roots, added with the cold sound of ECM production.

Eckemoff places very strong emphasis onto making melody as attractive to listener as possible and creating a range of kaleidoscopic mood changes. She is able to achieve a unique combination of subtle minimalism with climatic span of her music to obtain a truly captivating sound.

Melody mostly oscillates around the peculiar darkness, beautiful sadness and reflection, and the pianist is more focused on creating the atmosphere than on showing her virtuoso technique. The greatest asset of Glass Song is that these tracks put listener in reflective frame of mind and give free ran to his imagination.

Music is so captivating, full of such contemplation that it makes it hard to stop listening in any point during playing. Unhurriedly in the agile, delicate pace, the artists create a world of sounds to the listener, which causes deep reflection to set it and provokes a variety of thoughts.

Album ends with exquisite beautiful, multi-threaded composition “March Rain”. Moving melody, perfect and unique bass of Arild Andersen creats the amazing mood which is still present long after the last notes of the album are played out.

This is not just another jazz album. ” Glass Song ” is a special “knee-jerking” album. It is impossible for any sensitive jazz listener to be stay indifferent to this album. I recommend to all “full immersion” into abyss of this beautiful music.

Original Polish:

Nowy album rosyjskiej pianistki Yeleny Eckemoff ”Glass Song” to kolejna wyśmienita płyta zrealizowana w konwencji akustycznego trio. Do współpracy klasycznie wykształcona pianistka zaprosiła wyjątkową sekcję: przy kontrabasie znany z płyt renomowanej wytwórni ECM -Arild Andersen, a za perkusją słyszany na niedawnym albumie Dave’a Slonakera”Intrada” (2013), doskonały Peter Erskine (”Glass Song” to już trzeci album pianistki z Erskinem).
Yelena Eckemoff jest klasycznie wykształconą pianistką, która w ostatnich latach coraz śmielej i z doskonałym efektem stąpa po ścieżce muzyki jazzowej.
Poczynania pianistki na tym polu odbywają się jednak ściśle według określonych przez nią samą zasad, wolnych od wpływów klasycznych mistrzów jazzowej klawiatury, a ukazujących jej osobisty sposób postrzegania muzyki improwizowanej.
Brzmienie albumu złożonego z dziesięciu autorskich kompozycji pianisty w dużej części zdominowały dźwięki kontrabasu wspomnianego Andersena, jednak nastrój utworów charakteryzujących się wyjątkowo miękką i pełną wrażliwości, subtelną melodyką, jednoznacznie skierowuje nasze postrzeganie całości w stronę klasycznych korzeni Eckemoff, z domieszką sterylnego brzmienia właściwego produkcjom ECM.
Bardzo duży nacisk pianistka kładzie na wdzięk docierającej do słuchacza melodyki i tworzenie gamy zmieniających się kalejdoskopowo nastrojów podczas słuchania całości. Subtelny minimalizm udało się na płycie w wyjątkowej harmonii połączyć z klimatyczną rozpiętością, uzyskując doprawdy ujmujący słuchacza efekt dźwiękowy.
Melodyka w większości oscyluje wokół swoistego mroku, pięknego smutku i refleksji, a pianistka koncentruje się raczej na kreowaniu klimatu, niż zawiłych popisach wirtuozerskich. To wielki atut ”Glass Song”, decydujący o przyswajalności pięknych utworów i zdolności porwania słuchacza w rejony wyobraźni i osobistych przemyśleń. Pełne kontemplacji, wciągające utwory sprawiają, iż trudno oderwać się od płyty, w którymkolwiek jej momencie. Nieśpiesznie w pełnym zwinnej delikatności tempie artyści kreują przed słuchaczem świat dźwięków, wywołujących głęboką zadumę i prowokujących do rozmaitych refleksji.
Wyjątkowym pięknem zachwyca kończąca album, wielowątkowa kompozycja ”March Rain”. Poruszająca melodyka, doskonałe partie niepowtarzalnego Arilda Andersena i niesamowity nastrój, w jakim pozostajemy jeszcze na długo po wybrzmieniu ostatnich dźwięków płyty.
To nie jest po prostu kolejna jazzowa płyta. ”Glass Song” to album wyjątkowy, przy którym niemal miękną kolana. Doprawdy niewybaczalnym byłoby dla wrażliwego jazzowego słuchacza, obojętne przejście obok tej płyty. Polecam wszystkim ”zanurzenie się” w otchłań głębi tej przepięknej Muzyki.

Johnny Torrio for Amazon.com

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Title: Trio Art at Its Finest

I have been buying the (actual CD’s) of Yelena’s for quite a while – I have them all – and she continues to get better with each outing. That’s a tall statement, considering her first CD was one of the best I’d ever heard. Her song writing is beautiful, with a great sense of melodic flow, yet with some spectacular flourishes. She continually surrounds herself with top sidemen and producers, so the end product is art in its truest form.

As a fan of the piano trio format you absolutely will not want to go without this CD, nor any of Yelena’s previous CD’s either.

In Yelena Eckemoff, Keith Jarrett has some serious competition.

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Editorial for All About Jazz Italia

A Russian of classical education, but since 1991 she moved to the USA and devoted herself increasingly to jazz, the pianist Yelena Eckemoff has been making trio albums with talented formations for some years, of which the latter – with two authentic “legends” such as Arild Andersen and Peter Erskine – it seems the spearhead.
The music is all of the pianist’s pen and is certainly of excellent workmanship, even if eclectic and diversified. The general figure – as evidenced also by the titles – is situated between the abstract and intimist expressiveness of a Northern European style and lyricism. The two factors are both rooted in the formation of Eckemoff and the first fits perfectly with the poetics of his two companions, so as to interact perfectly and give rise to songs now characterized by one (the title track and the first pieces in the lineup), now on the other (“Elegy,” “Sweet Dream”), now pleasantly hybrids, like the spectacular “Polarity,” interpreted mainly by Andersen, or the delightful, conclusive “March Rain,” which on the other hand has the pianist as its protagonist.

The latter showcases the highest level of quality, with a light but decisive touch, plurality of stylistic elements and great Bley’s ability to manage pauses, as well as considerable lyrical fantasy in improvisations and a willingness to dialogue with partners put to good use especially with a sumptuous Andersen as usual. The stylistic references, in addition to the already mentioned Bley, are the masters of the Northern European school as Bobo Stenson and, for some stylistic elements, Jarrett.

As always, there is little to add to his well-known mastery of the drummer: deep sound, constant presence, prolonged solos with apiece of skill in “Polarity.” An ideal partner for anyone, excellent, but subtler, Peter Erskine, is very well suited to the context of rare faction lyrics and emerging on tiptoe in several occurrences – for example in the delicate solo of “Glass Song” against Andersen’s noisy background.

A record, therefore, perhaps not very original but still personal and, above all, of superior quality, with peaks of excellence.

Original Italian:

Russa di formazione classica, ma ormai dal 1991 trasferitasi negli USA e dedita crescentemente al jazz, la pianista Yelena Eckemoff da alcuni anni sta realizzando album in trio con formazioni talentuose, di cui quest’ultimo – con due autentiche “leggende” quali Arild Andersen e Peter Erskine – pare la punta di diamante.La musica è tutta della penna della pianista ed è senz’altro di ottima fattura, ancorché eclettica e diversificata. La cifra generale – come testimoniato peraltro anche dai titoli – si situa tra l’espressività astratta e intimista di stampo nordeuropeo e il lirismo. I due fattori sono entrambi radicati nella formazione della Eckemoff e il primo si sposa perfettamente con la poetica dei suoi due compagni, così da interagire perfettamente e dare origine a brani caratterizzati ora dall’uno (la title track e i primi pezzi in scaletta), ora dall’altro (“Elegy,” “Sweet Dream”), ora piacevolmente ibridi, come la spettacolare “Polarity,” interpretata prevalentemente da Andersen, o la deliziosa, conclusiva “March Rain,” che viceversa ha per protagonista la pianista.

Quest’ultima mette in vetrina qualità di altissimo livello, con un tocco lieve ma deciso, pluralità di stilemi e grande capacità bleyana di gestione delle pause, nonché considerevole fantasia lirica nelle improvvisazioni e una disposizione al dialogo con i partner messa a frutto soprattutto con un come al solito sontuoso Andersen. I riferimenti stilistici, oltre al già citato Bley, sono i maestri della scuola nordeuropea come Bobo Stenson e, solo per alcuni stilemi, Jarrett.

Del contabbassista, come sempre, c’è poco da aggiungere alla maestria che gli è ben nota: suono profondo, presenza costante, assoli prolungati con un pezzo di bravura in “Polarity”. Un partner ideale per chiunque. Eccellente, ma più defilato, Peter Erskine, adattissimo al contesto di lirica rarefazione e che emerge in punta di piedi in più occcasioni – ad esempio nel delicato assolo di “Glass Song,” sullo sfondo rumoristico di Andersen.

Un disco, quindi, forse non originalissimo ma comunque personale e, soprattutto, di qualità superiore, con punte d’eccellenza.
Track Listing: 1. Melting Ice – 7:29; 2. Glass Song – 9:31; 3. Cloud Break – 5:47; 4. Polarity – 7:07; 5. Dripping Icicles – 7:20; 6. Sweet Dreams – 5:34; 7. Whistle Song – 6:31; 8. Sunny Day in the Woods – 7:21; 9. Elegy – 7:42; 10. March Rain – 7:55. Tutte le composizioni sono di Yelena Eckemoff.

Personnel: Yelena Eckemoff (pianoforte), Arild Andersen (contrabbasso), Peter Erskine (batteria, percussioni).

Title: Glass Song | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: L & H Production

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Narymusic for Jazz and Drummer

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Purchase Peter Erskine. This is the first time I hear this is the female pianist leader, Yelena Eckemoff (originally from Moscow), but when I look at the independent label Yelena Music site, she has released 19 albums including classical works. She entered jazz and started to work with drums since “Yelena Eckemoff / The Call” in 2006, her eighth album, then “Yelena Eckemoff / Cold Sun (2010.) I have learned that Erskine is also participating in Flying Steps (2010). In addition to Mr. Vinding and Morten Lund, some other people are also participating in the past works, but this work is not based on ECM.

Ten songs by Eckemoff’s original score.

Due to Arild Andersen’s participation, it sounds and feels much like the ECM. A performance with a delicate and quiet feeling centered on non-4 beat reminds Erskine’s ECM albums as a leader: “Peter Erskine / You Never know (1993)” “/ Time Being (1994)” “/ As It Is (1996) “/” Juni (1999.)” Eckemoff’s piano has something in common with Keith Jarrett, and the influence of European pianists who inherit his style is felt. The performance in which Erskine is intertwined in an organic manner, makes us listen to any song as it is, but still a similar sort of similar song has been continued and so on, and in total there is about 73 minutes, so I get bored in the middle. Perhaps I expected this kind of performance before hearing it, I was in a position to enjoy the silent drumming of Erskine for the first time in the end, but the songs that are tapping snare and bass drums properly are the 5th song of 4 beats (there are also drum solos there.) There are only a few tracks that are seasoned with just a few banging cymbals, so even if there is no choice but to have a bold tune, this is not enough anything. Instead, Andersen shows the goodness of Gary Peacock’s reaction to Eckemoff’s playing, so you can barely hear it without breaking the tension till the very end, but if you can, half of the songs are dynamic. Even if it was a musical performance or a static song, I wanted them to show dynamic development within the song. But if you try Eckemoff which seems to be familiar with classical, it may be challenging itself to do such jazz with the piano trio of bass and drums. I see something good both in terms of making songs and technical aspects, so I think that it will be even better if you acquire a sense that you can also play dynamically with this, but since it is quite a matter of age, it is more like this, it may be impossible to expand the range of musicality.

As it is said, because the static music continues, the performance cannot be sympathized, but although each instrument has a gentle touch, the skeleton is solid and the sound has deepness and it is really nice. Especially the sound of the bass drum that sinks into the base and below is a special one. There is a place where this work can enjoy only by the goodness of this sound.

Original Japanese:

ピーター・アースキン買い。リーダーの女流ピアニスト、エレーナ・エケモフ（モスクワ出身）はこれが初聴きだけど、自主レーベルであるYelena Musicのサイトを見るとクラシカル（かな？）な作品も含めて、これまでに19枚のアルバムをリリースしているんだね。ドラムス入りのジャズ作品は2006年の「Yelena Eckemoff / The Call」以降のようで、本作が8枚目にあたるのだが、その中の「Yelena Eckemoff / Cold Sun（10年）」「Yelena Eckemoff / Flying Steps（10年）」にもアースキンが参加しているのを今知った。過去作品には他にもマッズ・ヴィンディングやモーテン・ルンドといったそそられる面々が参加しているのだが、本作のベースはECM以外で弾いているのには出会える機会の少ないアリルド・アンデルセン（わたし的には「Carsten Dahl, Arild Andersen, Jon Christensen / Space is the Place（12年、別頁あり）」以来）が担当しているのが興味深い。

エケモフのオリジナルだけで全10曲。

アンデルセンが参加していることも関係してか、ECMの肌触りによく似たサウンドとなっている。非4ビートが中心の繊細で静寂感の漂う演奏は、ECMからのアースキンのリーダー作「Peter Erskine / You Never know（93年）」「同 / Time Being（94年）」「同 / As It Is（96年）」「同 / Juni（99年）」あたりとも共通するのだが、キース・ジャレットや彼のスタイルを継承しているヨーロッパのピアニストたちからの影響が感じられるエケモフのピアノに、アンデルセンとアースキンが有機的に絡み合っている演奏は、どの曲もそれなりにはいい感じで聴かせてくれるものの、これでもかというぐらいに似たような静的な曲が続いてしまっているし、トータルで約73分もあるので、私としては途中で退屈してしまう。おそらくこういう演奏だろうということは聴く前から予想していて、久しぶりにアースキンのサイレントなドラミングを楽しむ態勢ではいたのだが、ちゃんとスネアやバスドラを叩いている曲は4ビートの5曲目（ドラムソロもあり）等ごくわずかで、他は味付け程度にシンバルを叩いているだけの場面がほとんどなので、曲調がらそうせざるを得ないとしても、これではいくらなんでも物足りない。その代わりにアンデルセンが、エケモフのプレイに対してゲイリー・ピーコックばりの反応のよさを見せているので、かろうじて最後まで緊張の糸を切らさずに聴くことはできるけど、できれば半分ぐらいの曲は動的な演奏、あるいは静的な曲であったとしても曲中内でダイナミックな展開を見せてほしかった。でもクラシックにも精通していると思われるエケモフにしてみると、ベースとドラムスのピアノトリオでこのようなジャズをやること自体がチャレンジなのかも。曲作りに関してもテクニカルな面においてもいいものを持っているので、これで動的な演奏もできる感覚を身に付けるとさらによくなると思うのだが、けっこう年齢はいってそうな感じなので、これ以上に音楽性の幅を広げるのは無理なのかもしれない。

ということで演奏は静的な曲が続いているので共感できないのだが、録音は各楽器が優しいタッチながらも骨格はしっかりしているし、音にも深みがあって実にいいね。特にベースと下に沈み込むようなバスドラの音は特筆もの。本作はこの音の良さだけでも楽しめるといったところがある。

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Joe Woodard for Downbeat

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A Russian emigre to the United States who fled her homeland 20 years ago, the gifted and versatile pianist Yelena Eckemoff bridges different worlds, musically and attitudinally. She’s a classically trained player whose studies come through in various ways on her introspective and lyrical piano trio date. On these melancholic and bittersweet tunes, the immediate point of contextual reference and departure is linked to the ECM Records tradition. It helps that bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Peter Erskine have been important players and leaders over the duration of the ongoing ECM saga. They know how to give apt picturesque meaning to Eckemoff’s pensively dirge-like opening piece, “Melting Ice,” how to approach the shimmery ambiguity of “Glass Song” and how to handle the more unsettled harmonic nature of the tonally restless “Polarity.” Chordal voicings and motions on “Sunny Day In The Woods” lean in the direction of a more Ravel-flavored palette, and her phrasing during solos sometimes has that feel of jazz-inspired classical pianists who haven’t fully found their way into the language of swing yet. On the other hand, she carves her own way, cross-talking between genres while keeping her ear on the impressionistic endgame, with ample help from her collaborators.

Thomas Conrad for Jazz Times

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Yelena Eckemoff was born in Moscow and studied at the prestigious Gnessin Academy and the Moscow State Conservatory. She has lived in the United States since 1991, and was a classical pianist until about 2009, when she reinvented herself as a jazz musician. Her new album, Glass Song, has a theme. It is about the particular moment when the ice of winter begins to melt, promising the eventual arrival of spring. Her compositions have titles like “Dripping Icicles” and “March Rain.”

Eckemoff’s classical background is audible in the intricacy and proportion and refinement of each song’s design, and in the measured caution of her improvisations. But she is more romantic impressionist than academic. Her forms, for all their order and precision, are heartfelt. Her sonic metaphors are often apt, like the pretty cycling phrases of high treble melody that stand for “Melting Ice,” and the splashes of light that represent “Cloud Break.”

The risk with such music is sentimentality and preciousness. Eckemoff protects herself against these pitfalls by employing a world-class, powerfully assertive yet sensitive rhythm section. Bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Peter Erskine had never played together before. It’s difficult to think of a piano trio album, led by the pianist, that is so defined by its bassist and drummer. Andersen’s role is so prominent, and he is positioned so far forward in the mix, that Glass Song is like a piano/bass duo project with drum accompaniment. His rich bass sound, down to its bottom octave, is beautifully recorded; his lyrical, commanding lines flow all through Eckemoff’s fragile melodies; and his looming presence imparts drama. Everything Erskine plays is interesting, whether he is soloing melodically, like on “Dripping Icicles,” or shading and highlighting details within these songs, adding subtle edges.

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