Susan Frances

Susan Frances for Blogcritics

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The supple texture of Yelena Eckemoff’s piano keys and the limber tweets of Chris Potter’s saxophone define the dominant characteristics of the latest release from Eckemoff’s quintet, In the Shadow of a Cloud. The ambient soundscapes produce a succor touch that reverberates across the melodic progressions, penetrating the cerebral senses of the audience.

The twinkling licks of the guitar through “Fishing Village” are kindled by the complementing shimmer of the keys, haloed in soaring saxophone notes, giving the track a fleshy texture. Conversely, the aerials of the flute are gently executed, floating across “Waters of Tsna River” and producing an ethereal froth across the tune. The music is conducive to laid-back lifestyles, for audiences that seek a peaceful state of mind.

“Acorn Figurines” is sparsely layered by notes that sparkle in opulent shades, integrating the guitar and keys to create ballet-like silhouettes across the melody. The recording kicks up the tempo to a catchy canter through “On the Motorboat,” moving the picturesque candlelight ambiance into a jovial mood, clad in the skipping pace of the keys and nimble twists of the guitar.

Just as bedtime stories are designed to be told at bedtime, “Hammock Stories” is music one would enjoy while swinging in a hammock. The soft sway of the music incites the listener to embrace the breezy glides of the guitar, intertwined in the languid thrusts of the bass for a lounging pastoral. The smooth pumps of the rhythm section through “Picnic in the Oaks” have a classic ambient glisten that puts the listener at ease.

Equally refined is the placid tone of the guitar lobes shaping “Waltz of the Yellow Petals” into a romantic ballad, generating a dream-like state through the silky vibrations. The improvised ruminations of the keys are lightly dotted by intervals of the guitar and saxophone, flowing with a fluid ease along “Lament.” The recording intensifies the mood through “Vision of a Hunt,” as the instruments turn heavier in tone and quicken their frolic, then switches to a romantic grist in “Tambov Streets on a Summer Night,” as the elegant lines of the keys pilot the melodic motifs. Yelena Eckemoff’s quintet whips up a compilation of romantic ballads, lounging pastorals, and elegant improvisations. Her music depicts life in the laid-back lane, enjoying the scenery and letting the melodic motifs stimulate the cerebral senses.

Susan Frances for Yahoo

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The ambient soundscapes and eclectic tresses of Forget-Me-Not from pianist Yelena Eckemoff showcases music that stimulates the mind through complex entanglements and ethereally textured chimes reverberating in a broad range of keys and decibels. The improvised parts are proportioned to the structured motifs so the tracks keep their autonomy while maintaining a melodic fluidity. Accompanied by Mats Eilertsen on double bass and Marilyn Mazur on drums and percussions, Forget Me Not stays true to Eckemoff’s character of being a member of the vanguard and keeping her audience guessing about what creations she has in store for them. The bowing arcs of Eilertsen’s bass on “Maybe” produce angular lines which trail into Eckemoff’s lounging keys then morph into a series of staccato strikes in “Sand-Glass” generating an anxiety in the track as a choir of scintillating chimes dance around the keys. The variations in the drum beats along “Five” transitions from deep-toned bass notes to seraphic projectiles as Eckemoff’s keys hewn the main theme of the track. The slow rise in the bass notes and the delicate sprigs of jittering keys garner “Schubert’s Code” with an ambient sonorous introspective in character, while “Quasi Sonata” resonates with a maudlin Beethoven-esque musing. The clip-clopping beats of “Seven” move independent of the springy cadence of the keys and the bass notes quieting to an eclectic swishing through the passages of “Trapped in Time” and then into gently balladry sweeps across “Welcome a New Day.” A maestro in her own right, Yelena Eckemoff studied at the Piano School of the Moscow State Conservatory and earned a master’s degree in piano performance. Since 1991, she has been living in the United States and developing a repertoire as an independent artist. Forget Me Not was recorded in two days at a recording studio in Denmark, and even though the recording shows no signs of being rushed but rather pristinely charted, the compositions never lose their trait of moving in unpredictable lobes and strides.

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Susan Frances for Jazzreview

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The scrolling notes of pianist of Yelena Echemoff embroider imagery soundscapes that soothe, excite and entrap the listener in an experience beyond earthly dimensions. Her latest album Flying Steps features Peter Erskine on drums and Darek Oleszkiewicz on double bass, and establishes Echemoff as an engaging pianist and composer of ambient bliss. Tracks like “Promise” and “A Smile” have a sensual gait that incites the listener to drift off into a luxuriating oasis of melodic improvisations. The soft curls and relaxing lunges of Echemoff’s keys in “Good Morning” produced a soothing ambiance, and shift to somber etudes along “For Harry.” The dulcet doodling of her keys through “Isolated” imbues a contemplative lilt changing to an upbeat wandering in “Where Is Maxim?” The pensive waddling of her keys in “Tears Will Come” are supported by light drum taps and deep toned bass notes, which manifest into a hypnotic swagger in “Insomnia” with broad sweeps in Echemoff’s keys. Her music is rooted in classical chamber music concepts and orchestral structures coalesced with pop music-inspired rhythms and influenced by jazz improvisations. Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, Yelena Echemoff began playing the piano at four years old. Her mother, Olga was her first piano teacher. Yelena was further educated at the Piano School of the Moscow State Conservatory where she earned a Master’s Degree in piano performance and pedagogy. She worked as a piano teacher for the Moscow Music Schools. She and husband left the Soviet Union and have been living the USA since 1991, where she developed a discography as an independent recording artist adding Flying Steps to her lengthy catalog in 2011.

Rating: Five Stars

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