Midwest Record

Chris Spector for Midwest Record

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YELENA ECKEMOFF/I’m a Stranger in this World: A lot of Russian stuff has an inherent sadness to it, and with the state of the world these days, the sadness is evident here—even if it goes back to when she left her native Moscow in 1991 to bring her well honed chops here. Her ever evolving musical vision gets put on pause a touch here as she goes back downtown with a crew she’s worked with before. This time around, her settings for the Book of Psalms are spread out over two discs and it still seems like she has more to say on the subject. Lovely instrumental work that approaches the divine with a different set of ears, it might just make today’s average narcissist find a second or two to show some appreciation. If not, it’s a great listen anyway.

Volume 46

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Chris Spector for Midwest Record

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YELENA ECKEMOFF/Adventures of the Wildflower: Inspired by reading an article about how plants communicate, this impressionistic double cd is long on art but Eckemoff never goes art chick on us. With her piano taking on the character of a flower, she takes it though a life cycle from birth to death and shows us it’s interactions along the way. Quite the fascinating concept and execution, this shows us that it was time for a new take on “Peter and the Wolf.” A gentle and stylish work, she’s accompanied here by a Finnish instrumental crew that doesn’t fit the ECM format but is well deserving of a break out of their own. Well done throughout.
(L&H 806151)

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Chris Spector for Midwest Record

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Nobody can ever accuse Eckemoff of not being ambitious. She has taken us a lot of different places over the course of her career so far and this time she takes us impressionistically into the world of nocturnal animals spreading the work over two discs. Surrounding herself with some first call jazzbos and venturing into having verse accompany her playing, this is quite the head spinning package. She doesn’t have to try hard to take her piano to new places but she certainly extends her reach here. A well done trip into the wilderness that probably exists right in your own backyard.

 

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Chris Spector for Midwest Record

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YELENA ECKEMOFF-MANU KATCHE/Colors: The subtlety of Eckemoff’s pianistics this time out make you think the colors she prefects are pastel, but that’s a red herring. Here, she impressionistically used colors to represent the different stages of the life cycle. A date that feels like a recital, she raises her bar for creating solid sitting down, listening music that may be subtle but commands front and center attention. Real adult music.

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Chris Spector for Midwest Record

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The piano ace continues to take her vision farther afield than you would have guessed when she was starting out. Surrounding herself with a bunch of the best downtown jazzbos, she sets sail on a two disc set, one vocal and one instrumental of the same material, with her versions of religious psalms. Admittedly, it’s not going to be something for everyone but the instrumental disc alone makes it enough of an adventure for modern jazz fans to check out. Solid work by all throughout.

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Chris Spector for Midwest Record

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It’s not about cashing checks, not to cats like Peter Erskine, Paul McCandless and Arild Andersen. On her most impressive date yet, and a far fling from her early days of new age piano, Eckemoff corrals these cats into helping her cross the impressionistic desert she has sound painted here. No strangers to improv and new age/world/jazz, the crew brings a great synchronicity to the proceedings turning in a date not to be missed by fans of anyone on board. A most righteous work throughout where everyone gets to play to their fullest. 

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Chris Spector for Midwest Record

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YELENA ECKEMOFF QUINTET/In the Shadow of a Cloud: Having left the classical world behind for a turn in the new age world, Eckemoff sheds her skin once again and comes in with a classic, ECM worthy date that finds her mixing angular jazz with left leaning impressionism aided by a crew of experienced New Yorkers that know how to deliver this sound and vision. This is the sound of her memories of days gone by, spread over two discs with some improv aces that know how to sound like she feels. Certainly something different and out of the ordinary.

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Chris Spector for Midwest Record

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There’s ECM music lingering beyond the ECM gates. Perhaps the bleakest picture of winter since “Reds”, this Russian composer paints her impressionistic portrait as only one afraid of being sent to Siberia can do. A first rate piece of modern, chamber jazz for the sitting down jazz lover.

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