Chiemi Nakai & Emmanuel Bizeau Afro-Cuban Jazz Project
Bridges
CD
(Chiemi 300785),
Released 2008;
Editor's Pick:
If you are getting tired of the vocals and repetitive arrangements in your salsa collection, turn to the dynamic duo of Japanese pianist Chiemi Nakai and French percussionist Emmanuel “Manu” Bizeau for a fresh look at our music. Bridges is a really solid Latin jazz album with some great performances and a pleasing, clean sound overall. The Zen quality of complexity in simplicity is evident throughout, and each musician gets a chance to shine in an uncluttered environment provided by Nakai and Bizeau. Chiemi is a master of her instrument and can play mellow or extremely hot; she has played with members of Orquesta de la Luz in Japan, and joined Jimmy Bosch’s big band on tour in Europe in 2002. Playing Latin piano since 1993 in her native Osaka, Nakai came to the U.S. in 2000 to enter the Aaron Copeland School of Music at Queens College to study big band jazz arrangement under Michael Phillip Mossman and take lessons with Sir Roland Hanna. She graduated fromQueens College with an M.A. in Jazz Performance in 2002. Currently active on the New York scene, she is joined on this date by some heavy hitters, friends with whom she has performed in the past: multi-talented Cuban singer songwriter Juan Carlos Formell, the incredible Richie Flores on timbales and bongos, Carlos Del Pino on bass, Marvin Diz (on a withering timbales solo), the seriously talented Jimmy Bosch, and Roberto Pitre on flute, to name a few. Sultry singer Mari Koga adds her winsome vocals to the contemplative jazz-bolero “The Moon On The Water,” accompanied by some outstanding bass playing by Noriko Ueda. A particular favorite is the funky “Más y Más” where my man Jimmy Bosch blows some sabroso ‘bone – my only quibble is the fade. On the standout track “The Flying Grey Cat,” Manu Bizeau’s itolete batá drum is joined by Jerome Goldschmit on iya and okonkolo, and Formell plays some very expressive and Yoruba-inspired bass. Quite mesmerizing and joyful. Manu, a leader in his own right for the band Grupo Omelenko, keeps the percussion snappy and authentic throughout, with a fiery rolling bata/conga solo featured during a tasty take on the Pedro Flores chestnut “Obsessión.” As a younger man Bizeau followed his Latin muse and traveled to Cuba to dedicate his life to el tambor, learning from the likes of José Luis “Changuito” Quintana as well as Alberto Villareal of Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba. He went on to play in Europe and South America with Yuri Buenaventura, Azuquita, Miguel “Angá” Díaz, and Afredo Rodríguez. Bridges seems like a match made in heaven, outlining the percussive and melodic connections that form a bridge between the piano and the drum, instruments that share African roots.
Highly Recommended. (Pablo Yglesias, 2008-03-30)
Song titles include:
La Frontera 4:55
Nueva Vision 2 5:08
Fragments Of Sadness 7:10
Obsession 7:30
Azul 7:31
The Moon On The Water 6:55
Mas Y Mas 4:46
The Flying Gray Cat 4:22
Sedona 8:01
Musicians include:
Chiemi Nakai Piano
Emmanuel "Manu" Bizeau Congas, campana
Juan Carlos Formell Bass
William "Beaver" Bausch Drums
Carlos Del Pino Bass
Richie Flores Timbales and bongos
Roberto Pitre Flute
Marvin Diaz Timbales solo
Jorge Bringas Bass
Ludwig Alfonso Drums
Mari Koga Vocals
Noriko Ueda Bass
Mike Herscher Bass
Jerome Goldschmit Drums set, guiro
Jimmy Bosch Trombone solo
Mario Rodriguez Bass
Category: Latin Jazz
=> Afro-Cuban Jazz
Shipping Value: 1
ORDER TL-22917.10 CD $15.98
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