Home » Jazz Articles » Multiple Reviews » The Multiple Musical Personalities of Eri Yamamoto

The Multiple Musical Personalities of Eri Yamamoto

By Tom Greenland
January 16, 2010
View read count


Eri Yamamoto In Each Day, Something Good AUM Fidelity 2010	Eri Yamamoto, Whit Dickey, Daniel Carter Emergence Not Two 2009

Known locally for her decade-long residency at Arthur's Tavern in the West Village, Osaka-born, Kyoto-bred and New York-seasoned pianist

Eri Yamamoto

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Eri Yamamoto has become increasingly visible on the Eastside avant jazz scene. Two new releases document both sides of her musical personality.

In Each Day, Something Good, her sixth trio album, recorded with longtime working rhythm section bassist David Ambrosio and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi, is a mixture of original songs and a suite of pieces written to accompany Yasujiro Ozu's early silent film I Was Born, But.... Yamamoto's playing, unhurried and unforced, nevertheless demonstrates an active imagination and gift for melody; her improvisations avoid sweeping theatrical gestures in favor of focused introspection, in the spirit of someone who stops along the way to pore over the small details of everyday life that often elude those who hurry on. Displaying an intuitive rapport based on umpteen hours of on-the-job repartee, the trio recalls the close commerce and intimate atmosphere of Bill Evans' classic group, the musical equivalent of an isosceles triangle. Yamamoto's writing favors loping 5/4 'waltzes,' gospel-tinged harmonies and short, miniaturist themes. "A Little Escape" sounds like a folksy variant of Monk's "Misterioso"; "Blue in Tunisia" meditates on subtle shadings of C Major/minor while "I Was Born" is unabashed bop, featuring a fine piano solo in which Yamamoto's phrases seemly float over both beat and barlines.

Emergence is a collective outing with multi-instrumentalist

Daniel Carter

saxophone
b.1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Daniel Carter and drummer

Whit Dickey

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Whit Dickey, both stalwarts of the freer fringes. Lacking a bassist, Yamamoto digs in with her left hand, filling out the low frequencies with rumbling lines, topped by high, chiming arpeggios. In this looser context, she flirts with tonality, moving harmonies up and down without quite reaching a cadence, ambiguous gestures that beg a response. Trading most of his time between trumpet and tenor, Carter is fairly restrained, leaving ample space, adding comments here and there, saving his most audacious blowing for "Last Taste" when, supported by a spiraling piano figure, his alto builds to a ferocious climax. Dickey strikes a balance between density and space, spreading hits across the kit, digging into faux hiphop grooves on "Get Up" and "Rocker" while merely implying the pulse on "Convection." A fine effort, the date exemplifies the art of collective on-the-spot decision making.

Tracks & Personnel

In Each Day, Something Good

Tracks: Attraction of the Moon; Secret Link; Every Day; We'll Figure Out Blues; Blue in Tunisia; I Was Born; A Little Suspicious; Let's Eat, Then Everything Will Be OK; A Little Escape; Sheep Song.

Personnel: Eri Yamamoto: piano; David Ambrosio: bass; Ikuo Takeuchi: drums.

Emergence

Tracks: Conversation; Get Up; Mobile; Convection; Rocker; Twirls; Last Taste; Plum Blossom.

Personnel: Eri Yamamoto: piano; Daniel Carter: reeds, trumpet, flute; Whit Dickey: drums.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Nicole Mitchell: Renegades, Anaya, C...
< Previous

Piano/Bass Four-Fer
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.