Babskim Uchem. Muzyczny Pamiętnik: Takeshi Asai: "Trio Vol. VI" (Fono Bono Records, 14.04.2022) /ENG/

For more than eight years, I have been watching with escalating admiration the work of New York jazz pianist Takeshi Asai, about whom we have been hearing more and more recently in Poland and other European countries. Despite the fact that the pianist gained great respect already with the first of his original albums released a decade ago, with each subsequent uncommon project he stuns with even greater power. So today, let us talk for a moment about this year's album, "Trio Vl. VI", released on April 14th on Fono Bono Records.

In recent years, Takeshi Asai has managed to make a name for himself in the crowded New York jazz scene not only as an active and inventive pianist who is not afraid to innovate, but also as an excellent producer, arranger and sound director in his New York studio, which is used by an increasing number of professional musicians. The success he began to achieve in the field of production and realization of albums of exceptional artistic level and unconventional sound provoked the Artist to establish a record company, whose name - Fono Bono - directly refers to his assumptions and hard rules guiding the production of the best possible sound.

In such a tone was recorded and produced the latest, eleventh album of the pianist, this time entitled "Trio Vol. VI". An incredibly creative composer, but also full of talent and sublime taste, whose concert activity on American jazz stages has been limited to a few concerts a week for the past few months, can certainly not complain about the lack of accompanying musicians. When selecting the instrumentalists for his latest project, however, he was perfectly precise in choosing names not only of musicians who are fantastic with their instruments, but also artists of similar sensitivity, who perfectly understand the music he creates and - at the same time - bring their fantastic ideas to it. So there appears the talented, gifted with deep sensitivity and subtlety double bassist with dark, solid, monumental but also - when appropriate - wacky and playful sound - Bob Gingery (capital solo in the song "Yonder"!) and full of finesse and perfect technique, innovative and excellent, incredibly skilful percussionist with disarming power of expression (winning wonderfully leading melody at the beginning of the track no. 3) - Brian Woodruff.

So we have the Dream Team, in the form of a dream setup for such a great project, we have the excellent New York DTC studio, where the musicians met to record the project on the highest quality instruments and recording equipment, we also have a brilliant sound engineer and producer. Also to be commended, of course, is the superb artwork and album design by Takeshi Asai himself. And if, in the process of reviewing the album, one would like to find the smallest detail to criticise - we can forget about any criticism here, because from now on it only gets more and more wonderful!

Takeshi Asai is known not only for his finesse as a composer and for weaving advanced playing techniques and unusual sound solutions into his phenomenal compositions, leaving them wonderfully communicative even for the novice listener of improvised music. In addition to his monstrously awe-inspiring constructions, what captivates audiences above all is his exceptional sensitivity and delicacy of sound, which, however, can often show its monumental face. The music created by Takeshi Asai, regardless of its stylistic form, is always fabulously illustrative, full of poetics and wonderful extravagance. Often the artist winks at his audience, as well as at the great masters who in various ways inspired him with their works or personalities to write particular pieces.

"Trio Vol VI" consists of 9 original pieces by the pianist, crowned by his instrumental version of a piece by James Taylor. It is also worth noting the considerable influence of the other trio musicians on the final shape of the compositions, especially "Mes Demoiselles" arranged by the drummer, or the arrangement of "Blue Brain" by Bob and Brian. The track arrangement is as follows:

1. "WI"/ 2. "Yonder"/ 3. "(I didn't know that it was) Bacon"/ 4. "Iota"/ 5. "Air on the White Keys"/ 6. "Ave Marta"/ 7. "Mes Demoiselles"/ 8. "Blue Brain"/ 9. "CΔ/Db"/ 10. "Fire and Rain".

I must admit, with complete sincerity, that although in none of the previous albums of the pianist and composer did I miss literally nothing and - even from today's point of view - I would change absolutely nothing in them, yet, observing each successivertist of the Artist not only as a composer, but - perhaps even primarily - as a pianist, I am impressed by the incredible speed with which his technique develops on the piano, and surprised by the staggering progress in the process of creating technically and structurally advanced compositions, whose stylistic reach extends into ever wider areas. At the same time, the artist's extraordinary sensitivity and ability to perceive the tiniest shreds of beauty, which he then nurtures in his hands with dedication and patience, not only does not fade, but also escalates in a wonderful way, in order to give them to us in a unique form.

It is irrelevant whether we are dealing with pieces inspired by classical music that evoke the highest respect and appreciation for being able to touch such holiness and ... make it even more enchanting, or it is a ballad. It doesn't matter whether the artist reaches for the advanced jazz pieces of the great masters, coquettishly bringing in his own sonic spaces as if taking up residence in the premises they left behind and arranging them in his own way, completely anew, in an undeniably charming manner. Whether - warmed by the passion poured out on the previous, electronic project - he decides to enter new worlds with its warmth, or - with the beauty of a ballad - he will charm and lure again. Each time, in each of the consecutive tracks, we will find a technical miracle, unspeakable beauty of mind and compositional thought, love for music (and all beauty!) and full of sensuality, courage to explore the space of one's own soul, virtuosity and peculiar artistic sensitivity, which - just like in the case of Keith Jarret - opens for the musician European hearts and ... jazz scenes (more on that soon, in one of the next posts).

In a word - the album dazzles with its form, but also captivates with its content, enchanting and enticing, but also provoking to deep reflection and imagination trips to the most remote corners of the gardens of his compositions, to paradise paths strewn with unimaginable beauty. And although I have been listening to him several times a day for a month now, all the time - I dare not say that I know it by heart. For I will never be able to play out in the recesses of my mind all the so many details that make up this spectacular beauty of an extraordinary attempt! I will never understand the way the Artist is able to portray such incredibly delicate fragility of subtle beauty, while giving it in such monumental form, reaching the highest parts of the sky!

The album's website, with links to places where you can get your hands on it: http://triov6.takeshiasai.com/

Marta Ratajczak

Interviews with the musicians of the entire trio just before the album's release:

Takeshi Asai - Muzyk Magazine: link

Bob Gingery - TopBass Magazine: link

Brian Woodruff - TopDrummer Magazine: link

Takeshi Asai's discography, reviewed on Babskim Uchem:

Solo projects: