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Miki Yamanaka: Shades of Rainbow

By Jack Bowers
October 12, 2023
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Pianist

Miki Yamanaka

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Miki Yamanaka's working trio (

Tyrone Allen II

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Tyrone Allen II, bass;

Jimmy Macbride

drums
b.1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Macbride, drums) is very good. Add tenor saxophonist

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Turner, as she does on Shades of Rainbow, and the results are even better. Besides playing nimble and expressive piano, Japanese-born, New York-based Yamanaka composed and arranged every song on Rainbow, her fifth album as leader.

For those who may be inclined to peek inside her head, Yamanaka provides a brief rationale for each tune, from "That Ain't Betty" (a contrafact of

Benny Golson

saxophone, tenor
1929 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Golson's "Along Came Betty") to "Oatmeal" (which Yamanaka confesses she does not like) and everything in between. The album's title song, she writes, was composed with Turner's tenor in mind. Any reservations about Yamanaka's ability to swing at warp speed are erased on the suitably named blues, "Uh Oh," whose mercurial tempo seriously tests everyone's chops (note: everyone passes with flying colors).

Aside from "Betty" and the loping "Oatmeal," on which she plays electric piano, Yamanaka's most engaging tunes are her tributes to

Mary Lou Williams

piano
1910 - 1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Mary Lou Williams ("Song for Mary Lou") and

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver ("Gin," a rough translation of Silver's name in Japanese). "Mary Lou" is a cool-headed groover on which everyone shines, "Gin" a muscular throwback to the bop canon. Yamanaka is at ease on every one, as is Turner. While Turner lists

Warne Marsh

saxophone, tenor
1927 - 1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Warne Marsh and

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane as main influences, he leans more toward Trane than Warne here.

Yamanaka's other tunes—"Early Morning," "Clam"—have their bright moments as well, and Shades of Rainbow is a far better than average quartet date. High-quality contemporary jazz from start to finish,

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

That Ain��t Betty; Early Morning; Shades of Rainbow; Uh Oh; Song for Mary Lou; Clam; Gin; Oatmeal.

Personnel

Miki Yamanaka

piano

Mark Turner

saxophone, tenor

Tyrone Allen II

bass

Jimmy Macbride

drums

Album information

Title: Shades of Rainbow | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Cellar Music Group

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