Carol Banks Weber for Substack
Flying Steps traces the tender care of a mother, the aching absence of a grown son, the devotion of a husband — the essence of the special people in Yelena Eckemoff’s life — as only music can. Her music.
Flying Steps
Amazon Customer for Amazon.co.jp
I didn’t know this pianist, but I bought six copies since then when I happened to hear this play in a CD store. I was attracted to the beauty of the jacket, and I was also interested in female pianists. Classical with jazz scent, it’s great.
Vittorio Lo Conte for Music Zoom
The two sideman are leading [Eckemoff] to wider jazz territories, where they find a point of encounter and fruitful dialogue with Eckemoff’s compositions. ..The last two tracks are dedicated respectively to Erskine and Oleszkiewicz and close a big album where the Russian pianist lets herself go to a close encounter with jazz forms, intense and full of emotions.
Esther Callens for The Birmingham Times
What more need to be said about Yelena Eckemoff? Besides the fact that she is an exceptional pianist/composer who has released numerous recordings that attests to it. In keeping step with her progression, her latest collection, Flying Steps, is merely a catapult boasting all and more that Eckemoff is capable of.
Bill Meredith for Jazziz
Pianist Yelena Eckemoff’s classical training in Russia certainly stands out on her “Flying Steps” CD, but so do the improvisational and interplay capabilities of her trio with bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz and drummer Peter Erskine. …Flying Steps” is a democratic, ECM-inspired statement by a true jazz original.
Bill Milkowski for Jazz Times
There’s a rare delicacy to this luminous, ECM-ish piano-trio outing that features the remarkably sensitive rhythm duo of bassist Darek Oles and drummer Peter Erskine. … Among the real gems are “Promise,” “A Smile,” the sparse “Isolated” and poignant “Mama,” all underscored by Oles’ graceful, woody tones and Erskine’s painterly approach to the kit. Drum fans will revel in Erskine’s choices throughout this keenly interactive offering.
Susan Frances for Jazzreview
The scrolling notes of pianist of Yelena Echemoff embroider imagery soundscapes that soothe, excite and entrap the listener in an experience beyond earthly dimensions.
Eric W. Saeger for Scope
Pianist Eckemoff has plenty of room to allow her instrument to roam in this trio setup, so much so that the ancillary double-bassist and drummer often seem to disappear in these romantic, reflective doodles. …I do plan to get to know this genial record better when there’s nothing pressing.
Karl Ackermann for All About Jazz
Flying Steps is a part of Eckemoff’s evolution, the pianist playing to her strengths with conviction and great ability. To her credit, she looks forward in choosing musical company that can move her along without discarding the equity she has built over the years. Eckemoff has always incorporated the principles of progression in her compositions and, with Flying Steps, she does so with her thematic presentation.
Tyran Grillo for ECM Reviews
There is an unmistakable note of nostalgia in the music that is only intensified with each new listen. For me, more overtly personal tracks like these reach deepest. Take, for example, “Mama,” which is a brilliant and sublime confluence of time, space, and technique that seems to constitute the very heart of what Eckemoff is capable of at her best.
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