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Tomoko Omura: Post Bop Gypsies

By Dan Bilawsky
June 30, 2017
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Think about your favorite jazz violinist. Now think about what style or sub-category of jazz that person would most easily fall into. Was your answer bebop? Probably not, I would venture to guess. It's not that I know your answer. This isn't a magic trick. For all I know it could've been

Stephane Grappelli

violin
1908 - 1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Stephane Grappelli,

Jenny Scheinman

violin
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Jenny Scheinman,

Ray Nance

cornet
1913 - 1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Ray Nance,

Zbigniew Seifert

violin
1946 - 1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Zbigniew Seifert,

Christian Howes

violin
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Christian Howes,

Jean-Luc Ponty

violin
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Jean-Luc Ponty,

Sara Caswell

violin

" data-original-title="" title="">Sara Caswell,

Stuff Smith

violin
1909 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Stuff Smith, or any number of other fine artists from years past or times present. The bottom line is that most jazz listeners—even the most seasoned jazz listeners—don't typically associate the violin with bebop. Some tremendous violinists, both on and off of the short list provided above, have dipped their toes into those waters, but few fully take the plunge. And if we're being honest, Tomoko Omura doesn't either.

Omura's first two releases— Visions (Self Produced, 2008) and Roots (Inner Circle Music, 2015)—weren't devoid of bop influences, but they really marked her as more of a modernist with strong cultural ties to her homeland. This date intentionally repositions her, but it doesn't change who she is. It's not a hard reset, but rather a new journey for an artist who's incredibly capable of navigating myriad paths by her own internal artistic compass.

Intentional or not, this album title proves to be something of a misnomer. When you think of a date called Post Bop Gypsies, you may very well imagine an unlikely merging of

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis' second great quintet and the Quintette du Hot Club de France. But that's not this. Yes, there are times when gypsy jazz merges with a specifically stylized bop aesthetic or tangent—this trio's trip through a

Warne Marsh

saxophone, tenor
1927 - 1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Warne Marsh winner ("Background Music") may be the best example—but Omura rarely makes things cut and dry in terms of genre splicing and dicing, always flavors a song with her own mixture of stylistic ideals, and never goes far enough to the left to definitely be defined as a post bop player on this date. Of course, she's certainly eclectic enough, on the whole, to fall into that large umbrella category as an artist.

Across these ten tracks there are opportunities to hear Omura bow to bop totems (

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker's "Relaxin' At Camarillo,"

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk's "Four In One"), swim in Brazilian currents (Charlie Chaplin's "Smile," her own "Boy From Boylston," Heitor Villa Lobos' alluring "Bachainas Brasileiras No. 5 Aria"), and dwell on beautiful daydreams ("Midnight Sun"). Chops, lyricism, playfulness, energy, structural integrity, and group chemistry are all in plain view across this program. Omura's five-string violin and Alex Goodman's guitar prove to be in sync, bassist

George DeLancey

bass
b.1988

" data-original-title="" title="">George DeLancey bounds this way and that as he keeps the locomotive moving, and all three musicians have a ball passing solos back and forth.

Call this music bop, call it what you will...or don't call it anything in particular. A jewel by any name would still attract attention and awe, a star would still shine as bright, the rose, of course, would still smell as sweet, and Post Bop Gypsies would still be as pleasurable a listen.

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Track Listing

Relaxin' At Camarillo; Four In One; Smile; JR; Boy From Boylston; Background Music; Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 Aria; Arabesque; Midnight Sun; Wee.

Personnel

Tomoko Omura

violin

Tomoko Omura: 5-string violin; Alex Goodman: guitar; George Delancey: bass.

Album information

Title: Post Bop Gypsies | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Inner Circle Music

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