Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, January 8, 2015
Jazz pianist Art Hirahara's new trio album Libations and Meditations (Posi-Tone) has cracked a shell for me. I listen to a lot of jazz. I have even played some jazz (or at least tinkered around its edges) in my time. But I almost never write about it. Jazz writers typically show off a very deep, specialized knowledge, and like some (though by no means all) jazz musicians, they often convey an esoteric clubbiness that's less than inviting to others who are interested but not expert.
Accompanied on Libations and Meditations by bassist Linda Oh and drummer Jon Davis, Hirahara puts forth 11 of his own compositions with a blend of fireworks and atmospherics that sounds cutting-edge and comfortable at the same time. Reminding me here of Bill Evans, there of Dave Brubeck, and over there, in the distance, faintly of Chick Corea, these numbers possess a large measure of the warmth of some of the 20th century's most popular jazz, but they also challenge my ears and brain.
read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Music-Review-Art-Hirahara-Libations-and-6005212.php
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