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Miho Hazama's M_Unit: Beyond Orbits

By Chris May
September 29, 2023
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Beyond Orbits is the f��ted composer and conductor Miho Hazama's fourth album with M_Unit. She founded the band in 2012, two years after moving from Tokyo to New York and while she was still studying for a masters in jazz composition at the Manhattan School of Music.

Hazama released M_Unit's first album in 2013. The band's third, Dancer In Nowhere (Sunnyside, 2019), was nominated for a Grammy. Among her other achievements, Hazama was in 2019 appointed chief conductor of the Danish Radio Big Band, following such luminaries as

Thad Jones

trumpet
1923 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Thad Jones,

Bob Brookmeyer

trombone
1929 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Brookmeyer and

Jim McNeely

composer / conductor
b.1949

" data-original-title="" title="">Jim McNeely. She conducted saxophonist and composer

Marius Neset

saxophone
b.1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Marius Neset and the DRBB's excellent Tributes (ACT, 2020). Soon afterwards the pandemic kicked in. But Hazama's rise has continued to be the jazz equivalent of meteoric.

And deservedly so. Hazama is a breath of fresh air in big band jazz. (

Gard Nilssen

drums
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Gard Nilssen and his Supersonic Orchestra is another, though Nilssen's ensemble would be more accurately described not as a breath but a howling gale). Hazama is arguably the composer and arranger who has most successfully integrated strings into jazz orchestras, rather than treating them as bolt-on extras. The lineup on Beyond Orbits is 13 strong, including two violins, a viola and a cello. It is most assuredly not a nonet + string quartet. Hazama's technical advantage over previous generations of big-band composers is that her integration of strings, reeds and brass has been aided by digital recording and mixdown technology, which can, for instance, put a violin on a decibel footing equal to that of a trumpet without upsetting the apple cart.

Like the M_Unit albums that came before it, Beyond Orbits is an exhilarating, nuanced affair, rich in unexpected instrumental combinations. The arrangements allow generous space for soloists and among those enjoying it are trumpeter

Jonathan Powell

trumpet
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Jonathan Powell, alto and soprano saxophonist

Steve Wilson

saxophone
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Wilson, tenor saxophonists

Jason Rigby

saxophone, tenor
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Jason Rigby and

Jeremy Powell

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeremy Powell, baritone saxophonist

Andrew Gutauskas

saxophone, baritone

" data-original-title="" title="">Andrew Gutauskas, viola player

Atsuki Yoshida

viola

" data-original-title="" title="">Atsuki Yoshida, vibraphonist

James Shipp

percussion
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">James Shipp, pianist

Billy Test

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Test and drummer

Jake Goldbas

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Jake Goldbas. There are two guest soloists, bassist

Christian McBride

bass
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Christian McBride and alto saxophonist

Immanuel Wilkins

saxophone, alto
b.1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Immanuel Wilkins, each featured on one track apiece.

Hazama's only weakness is that she does not compose memorable melodies. Instead, she writes brief motifs which are then developed texturally and harmonically with the ensemble. The result is fascinating to listen to, but even after playing the album three times, none of the themes stick in the mind.

Another niggle is the soloists. So careful are they to blend into Hazama's intricate charts that they are sometimes overly clinical. This is rammed home after the event by Immanuel Wilkins' romping solo on the closing track, "From Life Comes Beauty." Hamaza says she asked Wilkins to guest because she was so taken with his "emotional" style. His solo is indeed passionate, a quality lacking in almost all the solos that precede it, however fleet and enthusiastic they might be.

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Track Listing

Abeam; A Monk In Ascending And Descending; Exoplanet Suite I. Elliptical Orbit; Exoplanet Suite II. Three Sunlights; Exoplanet Suite III. Planet Nine; Can��t Hide Love; Portrait Of Guess; From Life Comes Beauty.

Personnel

Miho Hazama

composer / conductor

Steve Wilson

saxophone

Jason Rigby

saxophone, tenor

Jeremy Powell

saxophone

Andrew Gutauskas

saxophone, baritone

Jonathan Powell

trumpet

Adam Unsworth

french horn

Tomoko Akaboshi

violin

Atsuki Yoshida

viola

Meaghan Burke

cello

James Shipp

percussion

Billy Test

piano

Sam Anning

bass

Jake Goldbas

drums

Album information

Title: Beyond Orbits | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Edition Records

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