I Am a Stranger in This world

RAINER GUÉRICH for inMUSIC

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Pianist and composer Yelena Eckemoff is well-known for her extraordinary piano jazz releases, that are always inspired by unique themes. This is also true on her new double CD “I Am A Stranger In This World”, on which she and her excellent sidemen transport biblical psalms into the jazz context. Rating: extraordinary!

Original German:

Die Pianistin und Komponistin Yelena Eckemoff ist bekannt für ihre außergewöhnlichen Piano Jazz-Veröffentlichungen, bei denen sie sich immer wieder durch ungewöhnliche Themengebiete inspirieren lässt. So auch auf ihrer neuen Doppel-CD “I Am A Stranger In This World”, auf der sie mit ihrer exzellenten Side-Crew biblische Psalmen in den Jazzkontext transportiert. Prädikat: außergewöhnlich!

RAINER GUÉRICH for inMUSIC

Michael Tucker for Jazz Journal UK

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Title: Biblically inspired Russian pianist mixes shape-shifting atmosphere with, in the shape of blues and swing, archetypal jazz poetics.

I Am A Stranger In This World continues the engagement with biblical psalms which marked the Russian-born but American-domiciled pianist and polymath Eckemoff’s Better Than Gold Or Silver of 2016, but drops the vocals which appeared on disc one of that two-CD set.

Several tracks of Stranger In This World offer further material from the 2016 sessions which furnished the second, all-instrumental disc of Better Than Gold Or Silver. They sit well within the overall flowing whole that is Stranger In This World.

A glance at the personnel should be be enough to indicate the quality of both thoughtful and exhilarating musicianship which distinguishes the music: throughout, there is a beautiful range of nuanced dynamics. Conspicuous here is Eckemoff’s desire to combine her penchant for freely cast and coloured melodic exposition and shape-shifting atmosphere, epitomised here by Keep Not Your Silence and At Midnight I Shall Rise, with archetypal jazz poetics: witness the delicious (and varied) blues-sprung ambience of, e.g., Lighten My Eyes and I Shall Not Want or the lightly inflected and affirmative swing of As Chaff Before The Wind and Make Haste To Help Me.

Mark Sullivan’s sleeve-note offers informative insight into the project. But there are no quotations from the various psalms which inspired Eckemoff, rather a list of their numbers and the verses within them which precipitated the particular nature of the compositions. At least half of the 12 pages of photographs of the musicians which follow surely could have been exchanged for a helpful setting of the texts. But don’t let that put you off investigating what is perhaps Eckemoff’s most immediately attractive release to date.

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Mike Greenblatt for Goldmine

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Title: Russian emigre Yelena Eckemoff makes her masterpiece.

I Am A Stranger In This World says keyboardist-composer Yelena Eckemoff on her L&H Productions label. This epic double-disc with trumpeter Ralph Alessi, guitarists Adam Rogers/Ben Monder, violinist Christian Howes, bassist Drew Gress and drummers Nasheet Waits/Joey Baron is subtitled “Original Settings Of Biblical Psalms, Instrumental Version.” But you don’t have to be a believer to love her jams. The arrangements keep things moving at a dizzying, kinetic pace, offset by lyrical gorgeous moments of sterling grandeur. Yelena defied the Russian government with her spiritual side when to be a churchgoer was to be committing a dangerous transgression against the state. Her burgeoning creativity couldn’t fathom such an environment so after completing her pedigree in classical and jazz piano, she left her native Moscow—influenced by a famous 1987 performance in which she thrilled to Dave Brubeck—to end up in 1991 North Carolina. She’s been putting out great jazz records ever since. (Check out her 2018 Better Than Gold and Silver.) This one is a conceptual experiment that succeeds wildly by dint of its spiraling transcendence and interplay between these A-List musicians.

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James Tremblay for Amazon

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5.0 out of 5 stars 
Title: I’m Always Careful to say “The Best …. “

Especially with Yelena, because every time I listen to her latest release I say to myself “My God, this one’s her best one yet!” And then normally I’ll then play the one just before, and then I’ll go back and play a few more. I consider myself very lucky to have them all, and I pop them into the drawer of the CD player probably more often than any other single artist. Following the journey from her first piano trio recordings and on through the continuing changes as each new release comes out has been a journey I truly hope to never end. With “I Am A Stranger In This World” Yelena has once again chosen an ideal selection of sidemen to support the thoughts that she had as she wrote each Psalm. The manner in which she changes the mood, alters the tempo and weaves through the very mysteries of her melodies always holds my attention in a tight grip. On this album I especially enjoyed the playing of Ralph Alessi. His playing is always right on the mark, and his ease at dipping into the Avant Garde is just fun, and I enjoy that each player has his own signature sound, but in whichever combination Yelena has them set up throughout the recording is their interplay feels completely natural. Once again I can very simply sum up “I’m A Stranger In This World” by saying, “Yelena, thank you so much and I can hardly wait for the next!”

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Women in Jazz Media Magazine, July 2022 issue, pp 210 -213

Yelena Eckemoff comes to us from Moscow, Russia, where she was born, raised, and educated in music. She now lives in North Carolina in the United States. She has now lived in the U.S. for over 30 years.

Ms. Eckemoff is a very unique and gifted pianist and composer. Add to that prolific, as she has released a multitude of albums, using a variety of different instrument formats and musicians. Her latest release, “I Am a Stranger Here Myself”, includes all original music by Yelena (inspired by biblical psalms), and she is accompanied by a literal who’s who of jazz greats: Nasheet Waits, Joey Baron, Ben Monder, Ralph Alessi, Adam Rogers, Christian Howes and Drew Gress. In her music, one can detect the richly harmonic and brooding music of the great Russian classical romantic composers as an influence. The album is released on her own L&H Productions label.

Yelena may be from Russia, but we claim her as one of our own here in the United States!

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Scott Yanow for Downbeat

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Yelena Eckemoff, born in Russia and based in North Carolina, converted to Christianity while still living in Moscow. She has long  been interested in setting verses from the Bible’s Book of Psalms to music, composing jazz originals that in some cases are word-for-word musical recreations. In 2018, she recorded many of these compositions on Better Than Gold In
Silver, a set that contained both vocal pieces and instrumentals.

The two-CD I Am A Stranger In This World, which is strictly instrumental, includes three selections that were left off of the earlier set due to lack of space: the title cut, “Like Rain Upon The Mown Grass” and “Every Beast Of The Field.” Those performances team the pianist-composer with trumpeter Ralph Alessi, violinist Christian Howes, guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Baron. The other six numbers were recorded at the height of the pandemic in December 2020 and have Eckemoff joined by Alessi, Gress, guitarist Adam Rogers and drummer Nasheet Waits.

Eckemoff’s originals are full of rich themes and, because these are instrumentals, one does not have to be religious at all to enjoy the music. The melodies often reflect her classical training, the explorations are inventive (particularly those of Alessi), and the interplay between trumpet, guitar and piano often blurs the lines between solos and ensembles, composition and improvisation.

In Italian: 

Yelena Eckemoff, nata in Russia e residente nella Carolina del Nord, si è convertita al cristianesimo mentre viveva ancora a Mosca. Da tempo si interessa di mettere in musica versetti del Libro dei Salmi della Bibbia, componendo brani jazz originali che in alcuni casi sono ricostruzioni musicali parola per parola. Nel 2018, ha registrato molte di queste composizioni su Better Than Gold In Silver, un set che conteneva sia brani vocali che strumentali.
I due CD I Am A Stranger In This World, che è strettamente strumentale, include tre selezioni che erano state lasciate fuori dal set precedente per mancanza di spazio: il taglio del titolo, “Like Rain Upon The Mown Grass” e “Every Beast Del Campo.” Queste esibizioni affiancano il pianista-compositore al trombettista Ralph Alessi, al violinista Christian Howes, al chitarrista Ben Monder, al bassista Drew Gress e al batterista Joey Baron. Le altre sei tracce sono state registratieal culmine della pandemia nel dicembre 2020 e hanno la Eckemoff è stata affiancata da Alessi, Gress, il chitarrista Adam Rogers e il batterista Nasheet Waits.
Gli originali della Eckemoff sono pieni di temi ricchi e, poiché si tratta di strumenti strumentali, non è necessario essere affatto religiosi per godersi la musica. Le melodie riflettono spesso la sua formazione classica, le esplorazioni sono fantasiose (in particolare quelle di Alessi) e l’interazione tra tromba, chitarra e pianoforte spesso offusca i confini tra assoli e ensemble, composizione e improvvisazione.
di Scott Yanow
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Scott Yanow for Downbeat
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Nick Rotoli for Amazon

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5.0 out of 5 stars 

Title: A Deeply Felt Jazz CD!

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2022Verified Purchase

I hear a very different feel on this cd from Yelena’s recent music. I hear anxiety and soul searching, but I also hope in the more Gospel influenced songs, like “I Shall Not Want.” The composition and musicianship are first quality as always. The interplay is so natural! Yelena’s cd joins the great tradition of religious influence in Jazz, as in the works of Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams, and of course, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Keep the faith, and keep helping us all find a way out of this age through your music!

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Shingo Tanimoto for Tower Records

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Title: Moscow-born, U.S.-based pianist/composer makes gentle, generous 2-CD set with New York side of the family

Yelena Eckemoff is a Moscow-born American pianist and composer. Her releases on her own label are always of high quality, and the members who participate in them are wonderful, giving them a unique appeal. The previous album was a collaboration with Scandinavian players, and this new two-disc set features Ralph Alessi, Adam Rogers, and others from New York. The music is beautifully spun while effectively incorporating classical expressions. While sandwiching developments and transcendental performances that will make you feel surprised, the album gently and generously wraps you in its embrace.

Original Japanese:

モスクワ出身、アメリカで活躍するピアニスト／作曲家がNYの面々と作った優しくおおらかな2枚組

モスクワ出身、アメリカに渡りピアニスト／作曲家として活躍するイェレナ・エクモフ。自身が手掛けるレーベルからリリースする作品は常にハイクオリティで参加メンバーも素晴らしく、他にはない魅力を放ちます。前作は北欧のプレーヤーたちとの共演によるものでしたが、この新作はラルフ・アレッシやアダム・ロジャースといったニューヨークの面々を迎えての2枚組。クラシカルな表現も効果的に取り入れながら、美しく紡がれる楽曲たち。ハッとさせられるような展開や超絶演奏も挟みつつ、優しくおおらかに包み込んでくれるようなアルバムです。
谷本真悟（タワーレコード梅田NU茶屋町店）

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