Yelena Eckemoff Quintet - Blooming Tall Phlox

Yelena Eckemoff Quintet - Blooming Tall Phlox
(L&H Production L&Hcd806151-24. Review by Peter Bacon)
On Thursday, June 22, 2017

The Russian classical pianist, Yelena Eckemoff, now living in the U.S. and dedicating herself to jazz continues to forge a singular musical path - and a generous one, too, this being her 10th jazz release since 2010.

I have always found her approach intriguing because although she surrounds herself with jazz musicians and improvises herself, her way of structuring her music and indeed her own playing sounds much more aligned - at least to my under-educated ears - with classical composition than the Afro-American jazz conventions.

There has been increasing assuredness in this approach over those ten releases but its development is not quite so easy to articulate or illustrate because none has shared exactly the same personnel. The earlier albums were trio affairs, latterly the groups have expanded and diversified in instrumentation. Eckemoff’s choice in musicians is impeccable: Mats Vinding and Peter Erskine on her first jazz disc, Cold Sun, for example, with subsequent line-ups including, from this side of the pond, Morten Lund, Mats Eilertsen, Arild Andersen, Tore Brunborg and Jon Christensen; from the U.S. Billy Hart, Mark Turner and Joe Locke.

Last year’s Leaving Everything Behind was a deeply moving collection of pieces many of which were linked by loss - of childhood, of family, of homeland - all eloquently explored by Eckemoff with an all-American band of Mark Feldman on violin, Ben Street on double bass and Billy Hart on drums.

read more at: http://www.londonjazznews.com/2017/06/cd-review-yelena-eckemoff-quintet.html

Yelena Eckemoff - 'Forget-me-not' Review

By Maria Miaoulis, 3/15/2013

Pianist and composer Yelena Eckemoff undoubtedly turns heads (and raises many eyebrows) when listeners hear her rare blend of classical chamber music and progressive jazz on her latest CD, Forget-me-not.

The Russian-born musician learned to play piano by ear at the tender age of four and has been composing since age five. She went on to study concert piano at the renowned Moscow State Conservatory and established quite a name for herself before moving to the US in 1991, avoiding the collapse of the Soviet Union. Over the years, Eckemoff has released several records, composing for various instruments in the genres of jazz, classical music and experimental jazz-rock, all styles which are heavily featured on Forget-me-not.

For more information on Forget-me-not, please visit Yelena Eckemoff’s website.
Read more: http://thecelebritycafe.com/reviews/2013/03/yelena-eckemoff-forget-me-not-review

Music Review: Yelena Eckemoff – FORGET-me-NOT

Author: Joe Ross — Published: Mar 20, 2012 at 10:31 pm

After three album releases in 2010 featuring piano, bass and drums, Yelena Eckemoff’s 2011 project FORGET-me-NOT continues to explore the virtuosity that we’ve come to expect from the innovative jazz pianist who was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. Trained at the Moscow Conservatory, Eckemoff has expertise in classical music, jazz, experimental jazz-rock, and compositions for various instruments and voice. Yelena has been composing since age five, and her album releases number about 20. Now making her home on a North Carolina pine tree farm, she also enjoys painting, photography and gardening. Her motto, “Striving to create the finest musical experience” is only one element embodied in her love of life.

With its 10 original tracks (most of which span from five to nine minutes apiece), FORGET-me-NOT provides beautifully minimalist moments, as well as passages full of mystique and intrigue. Recorded over the course of two days in Denmark, the thoughtful, delicate, and intimate compositions are meant for easy listening and reflective contemplation. The skillful trio—pianist Yelena Eckemoff, bassist Mats Eilertsen, percussionist Marilyn Mazur—presents the music in such a way that the boundaries between structure and improvisation are seamless.

The disc runs 72 minutes, from “Resurrection of a Dream” to the closing “Welcome a New Day.” “Five” appears at track #5, and I only hope it’s not bad luck to put the piece entitled “Seven” at track #8. “Sand-Glass” delivers its impressions with coherence and content. “Trapped in Time” could easily be an emblematic theme for this introspective music that exudes relaxed sophistication.

For several decades, Eckemoff has been establishing her reputation for creative music that is both free and romantic. Slower tempos reinforce the modest and restrained expressions, yet at the same time we discover that this group's vision is to make transcendent musical statements. The result is je ne sais quoi, with fascinating elements and qualities which are hard to describe. To fully understand and appreciate the nuance of this music, tune into the emotional content of the pieces. See if they don’t become memorable as they resonate from heart to heart across cultures.

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-yelena-eckemoff-forget-me/#ixzz1pvOBtYPt