Romance of the Moon

Romance of the Moon front cover HiRes

La Montaña Rusa Radio Jazz

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We’ve started, as always, with our featured album, which is, well, this marvelous work, this wonderful record by the great Yelena Eckemoff: pianist, composer, multi-instrumentalist—yes, a true multi-instrumentalist and a multidisciplinary artist named Yelena Eckemoff. She is, fundamentally, a Renaissance artist; for in addition to composing and performing, and the other work she does within the realm of music, she also writes poetry and paints. She is also professionally dedicated to painting, you see. It is no coincidence that all of her album covers the artwork for her records are, in fact, paintings created by Yelena Eckemoff herself. Well, today we feature the superb pianist and composer, as I mentioned Yelena Eckemoff; born in Russia, but based in the United States for many, many years now. Today, we present to you this wonderful “Romance of the Moon”, a work from 2024 that we haven’t yet had the opportunity to play here on the show which is an album directly inspired by the poetry of Federico García Lorca.

Neri Pollastri for All About Jazz Italia

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Yelena Eckemoff, a prolific and chameleonic Russian composer who has been living in the U.S.A. for years, is used to frequently changing collaborators, adapting her compositions to their style and culture. ..Divided into thirteen compositions mostly of medium and long length, all signed by Eckemoff, the album is largely characterized by the trumpet of Paolo Fresu, who has the honor and the burden of drawing the melodic lines of the themes, often with the lyrical accompaniment of the leader’s piano. The latter, however, on some occasions places itself in more or less marked opposition, flanking it in a dissonant way — as in the case of “Thirsty for New Songs,” where first the support for the theme, then the improvisation are abstract and almost atonal. Precisely these situations are among the best moments of the album, as they enliven it and make it more surprising. ..A romantic album as the title suggests, with changing, spacious and dreamlike atmospheres.

Masayuki Koito for The Walker’s magazine

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It is a powerful work that demonstrates an expressive interplay between European classical music and jazz, and shows her deep love for Lorca’s poetry. Yelena’s piano touch is wonderful, and the sound conveys the passion and depth of the lyrics. Paolo Fresu’s trumpet makes you imagine the scene, and Riccardo Bertuzzi’s guitar also adds color to the work. My favorites are “Guitar,” “About Cats,” and “Old Lizard.”

Michael Tucker for Jazz Journal UK

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Trumpeter Paolo Fresu is perfect for Eckemoff’s poetics. Sample his sound and phrasing on Thirsty For New Songs, one of the most reflective yet also, eventually, “up” pieces here. His distilled yet airy and spacious musings and meditations flow across the beautifully unfolding textures and rhythms supplied by Eckemoff and the excellent Bulgarelli (b) and Bagnoli (d).

While there is no ostentatious attempt to foreground any feeling of that quality of the duende (or deep song) that so concerned Lorca, there is plenty of deep feeling and playing here. Sample also the sustained cutting resonance of electric guitarist Bertuzzi ‘s mellow work on, e.g., the title track and Old Lizard.

At several points on the album, Eckemoff features keyboards rather than unadorned piano. It works, but I’m relieved she nowhere overdoes this aspect within what is, as usual with this artist, a reverie-rich sound palette, delivered with captivating, category-eliding sensitivity and authority all round.

Aloi for Concerto magazine

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The beautiful, clear sound of all the instruments (piano, trumpet, flugelhorn, guitar, bass, drums) is striking. Influences from European classical music also come through. The booklet contains the English translations of the poems used, so that their content can be compared with the musical realization.

Ron Schepper for Textura

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Pianist Yelena Eckemoff’s Romance of the Moon exemplifies many of the qualities for which her recordings have become known; it also, however, departs from them in a way that suggests promising new directions for the future… Eckemoff doesn’t word-paint, and neither is the material programmatic but there is a clear relationship between the mood of the poem and the character of the music… When not contributing an imaginative solo, Eckemoff’s an embroiderer supporting the others and ensuring the music’s solidly grounded. Fresu plays beautifully throughout, his warm lyricism, sculpted tone, and painterly atmospherics lending the performances immense appeal. He often emotes softly but is capable of playing aggressively when the material demands it. Bertuzzi’s front and centre, naturally, on “Guitar” and graces the rubato meditation with resonant textures and liquid phrases. Bulgarelli and Bagnoli stabilize the performances but also respond elastically to the music’s evolving flow… Every new Eckemoff album feels like an invitation into the warm embrace of her music and world. There’s great comfort to be derived from the annual regularity with which a release by her appears and when it promises another satisfying set of personalized expression by the pianist and inspired contributions from her partners.

Peter Dobšinský for SK Jazz

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Yelena Eckemoff has created a unique place on the contemporary jazz scene thanks to her evocative and richly structured, creative work. ..From the first moment, Romance of the Moon bursts with colors and a rich impressionistic, sound-painting harmony that balances between classical and jazz music. The soft tone of the Italian trumpeter Paolo Fresu perfectly complements the intimate, melancholic, contemplative scenery. Romance of the Moon is an album that the listener must listen to more than once in order to discover the beauty, the different melodic layers of colors and the complexity of the expressive elements that hide in the wonderful interplay of poetry and music. It is an intimate, chamber work that is based mainly on melodic nuances and color of sound. Thus, Romance of the Moon does not bring any sharp contrasts and dynamic music, but pleasant melodies for contemplation and enjoyment of the connection of different forms of art in the excellent interplay of protagonists. Eckemoff’s growth as a composer is shown here, constantly pushing her motivic work and inspirations to a new level.

C. Michael Bailey for Wild Mercury Rhythm

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This atmospheric release emphasizes gentle melodies that float like smoke on a cool but humid day. Eckemoff’s piano is prominent in the mix and central to the recital. Paolo, playing trumpet and flugelhorn, provides sonic flights of fancy, flashing thoughts that weave through the harmonic lattices of the leader’s compositions. Bertuzzi contributes guitar figures that are soft and subtle as on “Guitar” and sharp and precise as on “Old Lizard” (which has Eckemoff playing electric piano). The effect is vibrant and intoxicating. Eckemoff accomplishes much with Romance Of The Moon, but she is not nearly finished where this path leads her…not by a long shot.

George W. Harris for Jazz Weekly

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Musically, you can’t go wrong with Eckemoff’s lyricism, especially teamed with trumpeter Paolo Fresu (also on flugelhorn) along with Riccardo Bertuzzi/eg, Luca Bulgarelli/b and Steano Bagnoli/dr. ..Bertuzzi gets featured on a flavorful “Romance of the Moon” and the leader mixes ideas from Debussy and Bill Evans on pieces like “Bells” and the soft “Memento”. Poetic justice.

Ed Enright for Downbeat

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…The Romance Of The Moon is a gentle, thoughtfully paced collection of aural watercolors that come across as somber, mournful laments spattered with moments of stormy anguish and oozing with soothing doses of whimsical humor. …From concept to completion, Romance Of The Moon marks yet another major success for the classically schooled Eckemoff, whose inherently selfless music is only finished “when recorded with jazz musicians,” she says. “I design the project for them to be able to express themselves.”

Claus Volke for Hören und Fühlen

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The quintet, centered around the two “voices” of piano and trumpet/flugelhorn, plays the songs, which are characterized by a deep calm, tenderness and incredible beauty, so emotionally that you can almost feel the “relaxation” that must have been present during the recording. ..The pieces are essentially characterized by the trumpet and flugelhorn of the brilliant musician Paolo Fresu, who always finds a congenial partner in spirit in the incredibly versatile Yelena Eckemoff. Guitar (Ricardo Bertuzzi), bass (Luca Bulgarelli) and drums (Stefano Bagnoli) form a perfect framework, which itself is characterized by the highest musical level and represents far more than a rhythm section for the foundation. Especially in the parts in which Eckemoff and Fresu are “silent” you can hear the delicate and aesthetic playing of these three musicians. Recorded in Mantua in Italy, this music is like an essence of the things that make Italy a place of longing around the world… The sound is also outstanding, so my recommendation is clear: Buy it!

Bernd Lorcher for inMusic Nr. 122

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The US-American jazz pianist of Russian origin is known for her poetic piano jazz albums. She was inspired to write “Romance of the Moon” by 13 poems by the Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936). Together with Sardinian trumpeter Paolo Fresu, guitarist Riccardo Bertuzzi, double bassist Luca Bulgarelli and drummer Stefano Bagnolli, she creates deeply moving jazz landscapes with lyrical flair in front of a moonlit Spanish city. Be sure to listen to the nine-minute title track “Romance Of The Moon” with its wistful, melancholy atmosphere.

Doug Collette for All About Jazz

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Comparable to the rare and valuable likes of a first edition book worth treasuring, Yelena Eckemoff’s Romance of the Moon is no small achievement. ..Never rushed but with not an iota of hesitation either, the collective playing exudes the expectant air of collective improvisational sense(s). At the same time, a spacious air emanates from these 2023 recordings engineered by Carlo Cantini, an atmosphere amplified by the mixing and mastering of Stefano Amerio: the intuitive transitions between instruments become readily audible. Nearly as tangible is the momentum the quintet generates throughout individual tracks, this despite the prevalent slow-to-mid tempo at which they are rendered. ..A veritable renaissance artist of contemporary jazz, Yelena Eckemoff redefines the phrase ‘complete package’ with Romance of the Moon, right down to using virtually the entirety of compact disc capacity in seventy-nine plus minutes playing time.

Wolfgang Giese for Musik an Sich

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Atmospheric productions with onomatopoeic design at a high and very fresh level. No matter which musicians Yelena Eckemoff has recorded her respective records with, the music always bears her personal signature. Once again, it has been possible to combine poetic moments of the quiet kind with brilliant jazz improvisations, to create a sound full of captivating elegance and a naturalness of performance; a lot of delicate restlessness of the most beautiful form, a sonic imagery with plenty of room for the mind’s eye; everything flows into one another as if by itself and leaves behind a high density of beauty and serenity. What strikes me about this production is that the spaces are kept wide, there is a lot of freedom for improvisation and free structure, which benefits the trumpeter Fresu in particular… Each song is characterized by its sometimes very beautiful melodies and the wide-ranging designed spaces in between, which, in conjunction with the intention of orientating itself on Lorca, represent a special musical lyricism.

Jörg Konrad for Kultcomplott

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She has found wonderful melodies…, music with strong emotional elements that also do full justice to the tragic fate of the Spanish author in terms of content. They are aesthetically mature songs, sensitively and confidently implemented. Some moments sound like devoted mourning, others like a carefree celebration of life. This is a touching bow by a great artist to all victims of barbarism and inhumanity.

Carol Banks Weber for Substack

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Loneliness lingers on Fresu’s horns throughout Romance of the Moon, threading, mesmerizing, haunting each poker-still-to-burnished-cloudscape track. There is a bassist keeping languid, nervy time, like a backbone that never breaks…a shutter that always opens, but Eckemoff simultaneously joins in, leads off, and conducts the suite as both driving, restless, maternal narrator and part of the band. She does what she does so well, infusing each piece with moonlight while leaving musical breadcrumbs in and out of animated reverie, and gently, patiently showing the listener what it must be like to be her, discovering Lorca’s poetry and then singlehandedly going forth to make nebulous sense of his intangible-tangible world.

Günter for Na Dann

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…She has assembled a completely different team than on the previous album. Four Italians, rhythm section plus guitar on 4 of the 13 tracks, on the others Paolo Fresu takes over the lead vocals with trumpet. His soft, melancholy tone goes extremely well with her harmonious, rather calm compositions. This results in almost 80 minutes of sensitive interplay between the melodic instruments, which is held together by the discreet but determined work of the bass and drums.

Alain Dupeux for Radio•REC 103.7FM, France

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A bright and splendid album balances its beautiful arrangements with a gorgeous, sparkling dialogue of solos and rhythms allowing this collaboration between musicians to achieve a stunning artistic cohesion. Gentle elegance is achieved by the amazing improvisations that find common inspiration in the roots of jazz culture, yet have modern artistic design achieved through subtle and unexpected developments. Her approach progresses her improvised universes, spiced up by her judicious sound combinations that take us into many different rhythmics; her way to approach her themes offers a unique phrasing combined with this freedom to sublimate her melodies through many inventive and particular techniques. I adored this splendid new album by a free and very talented artist.

TheRealPal for eR eM

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The result is beautiful impressionistic modern jazz with slight fusion echoes, in which each individual musician has been given all the possibilities of development and both acoustic and electric instruments harmonize perfectly with each other. Music that stimulates the listener’s imagination even before the poem has even been read. A great release in every respect, where not only the sound but also the artwork was put into great importance, see the already mentioned booklet and the packaging in digipak format. Wonderful!

Jacek Brun for Jazz-Fun

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Yelena Eckemoff’s music is beautiful, soulful and at the same time precise and perfect in its execution. With this album she proves once again that she is not only an outstanding instrumentalist, but also an excellent composer and arranger, who is able to create unique melody lines and leave room for her accompanists. Beautiful lyrical music that is hard to resist.

Tyran Grillo for All About Jazz

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In honoring Lorca, Eckemoff avoids reverence in favor of intimacy. This is music that shares his fascination with the night, with symbols that refuse to settle into single meanings. As the album draws to a close, the listener is left in a suspended darkness where sound thins into suggestion. The moon remains, watchful and unresolved. Silence gathers its nerve. Somewhere between the last chord, poetry keeps breathing, and the night writes its final line in the traces that remain.

Jim Hynes for Making a Scene

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Yelena Eckemoff is far from a household name but those who know, know that she makes some of the most melodic, imaginative music of any composer. ..The album stays true to the classically trained pianist’s bent to marry European classical music with jazz in these 13 pieces and Eckemoff’s ability to musically translate words into sonic tapestries that convey visual images.

Vittorio Lo Conte for Kathodik

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This is one of those albums that immediately conquers you, which music flows several times involving the listener, only then you look at the musicians and the story behind it. ..Eckemoff’s music is an inspired crossover between classical and jazz, original in form and ideas, capable of inspiring the musicians who are with her thanks to the compositions full of ideas that she brings into the studio every time. Some with Fresu, some with Bertuzzi and the electric keyboards, the atmospheres of the two quartets change and bring shades of many colors to the inspired, poetic performances, could it be otherwise while the lyrics of the Spanish poet hovered in the studio?

Tom Hull – on the Web

Russian pianist, moved to US in 1991, got into jazz and has recorded regularly since 2010. Very nice quintet, “inspired by the poems of Federico Garcia Lorca,” recorded in Italy with Paolo Fresu (trumpet), Riccardo Bertozzi (guitar), Luca Bulgarelli (bass), and Stefano Bagnoli (drums).

Cezary Gumiński for Audio magazine

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Even though Yelena Eckemoff’s compositions  consist largely of improvised parts, the artist places equally strong emphasis on composition and rich arrangement of songs. …Although the album “Romance of the Moon” was created “by correspondence”, an impressive degree of artistic integration was achieved. In an intimate atmosphere, we listen to music that not only tones the mood, but also enriches the imagination.

Thierry De Clemensat for Paris-Move

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Yelena Eckemoff is one of the most interesting composers currently, with a classical background, her universe is jazz, but always with a deep intellectual reasoning. …This is what makes each of Yelena’s albums so unique, when art meets the beauty of expression, or perhaps it’s the other way around. This album is indeed “Indispensable” because of the beauty of its composition and performance, or perhaps it’s the other way around.

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