Takase, Aki
BMC Records, 2023, CD
Instrument: Piano
Issue: 29.3
Jazz Ruler Type: Pop+Jazz
Performance: 4
Sound: 3
Score: 76
O’s Notes: This is a blend of classical, avant-garde, jazz and opera, a rather eclectic mix of genre. Vocalist Mayumi Nakamura soars in front of daunting piano passages from Aki Takase, complimented by Vincent Courtois’s angry cello, and sax from Daniel Erdmann on the drummerless ”Trio”. There’s a sense of desperation opening “Sevilla” that turns to jubilation on “Lalala”, before the mysterious “Night of Spade”. There are many emotions expressed on Carmen Rhapsody.
Publicist: Music Video Distributors