From MainlyPiano
Kathy Parsons | Florence, OR United States | 12/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
""The Call" is Yelena Eckemoff's second CD release this year and her first recording of original music for acoustic piano ensemble. Eckemoff's twelfth album is perhaps her most mature and fully-realized music to date. The quartet of musicians is comprised of Eckemoff on piano, Gayle Masarie on cello, Deborah Egekvist on flute and bass flute, and Michael Bolejack on drums. All four musicians have extensive and impressive credentials and play extraordinarily well together. Eckemoff was trained at the Moscow Conservatory and has a very rich background in classical music, jazz, experimental jazz-rock, and composition for various instruments and voice. All of those influences can be found in this music, making it very difficult to classify - a good thing! While not necessarily for the casual listener, Eckemoff's music is complex enough to satisfy the seasoned classical music lover and accessible enough for those dabbling in art-music. Several of the eighteen pieces are more jazz-oriented than classical, so it's a fascinating work.
The music for "The Call" was composed over a one-year period and varies widely in style and approach. Always full of emotion, some of the pieces are dark and mournful while others are joyful and full of energy. My favorite track is the title track, which opens the CD. Effectively conveying a real mix of emotions, this piece is mysterious, triumphant, dreamy, rhythmic, energetic, peaceful, and gorgeous. It swirls and dances, sparkles and glides, marches ahead and reflects back. It's amazing that one piece of music can say so many things in 4 1/2 minutes without seeming fragmented or disorganized. Brilliant! "Daisy" is a beautiful and deeply-felt piece composed when Eckemoff's beloved dog died unexpectedly. Full of love, sorrow, and happy memories, it will touch anyone who has experienced this kind of wrenching loss. "Sunny Day In the Woods" has a warm, serene mood and a feeling of freedom. "Suspicion" is another favorite. It begins gently and innocently, but a questioning feeling soon develops and then agitation. The piece builds momentum as the torment increases, pulls back a bit and questions more rationally and hopefully until doubt starts to take over and the intensity returns. This piece tells quite a story! "Forgotten Perfume" is a lovely daydream set to music. "Temptation" is dark and agitated, being pulled in two directions. Very effective! "Garden In May" is warm, graceful, and enchanting. "My Cozy Bed" is, well, cozy! The flute and cello create a dreamlike mood that becomes more intense and dramatic, melting back into the original theme. "Imaginary Lake" closes the CD with a more experimental piece that evokes a lot of visuals - placid water, birds flying, fish jumping, leaves fluttering. At almost eight minutes, it evolves naturally and peacefully - another very beautiful piece!
"The Call" is quite an achievement for Yelena Eckemoff. She is planning concerts with the ensemble - something to look forward to! Highly recommended for the serious music fan."
Magical
Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 03/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yelena Eckemoff has done something almost entirely new--she's created what could very well be considered a new musical genre--classical world improv, if a name must be put to it. Drawing mainly, perhaps, on classical music, she's figured out a way to seamlessly incorporate world, jazz, and chamber ensemble elements.
The result? Music of uncommon beauty and pathos.
With an extensive, one might almost say comprehensive, classical piano foundation, Eckemoff and her altogether sympathetic band have produced one of the great, original discs of the new millennium. One of the things I love most about this disc is that the leader, though a classically trained pianist of the absolutely highest accomplishment, exhibits none of that uptightness that often plagues classical artists who assay other genres: indeed, Eckemoff effortlessly gambols and frolics in world-chamber jazz precincts as if she invented and absolutely owns this rarified music.
Her band (Deborah Egekvist, flute, bass flute; Gayle Masarie, cello; and Michael Bolejack, drums), players of uncommon empathy with chops to burn, lock into the highflying vibe with nary a misstep, deftly following the leader through the most arcane and heartfelt moves. Michael Bolejack, whose resume reads like a whose who of pop/soul/jazz/new grass greats, cites Peter Erskine, Jack DeJohnette, Paul Motian, and Jon Christensen as his favorite drummers: one can hardly imagine greater lights as percussionists, and he absolutely lives up to those impossibly high standards. Flautist Deborah Egekvist plies a Grieg/Faure sensibility to great effect; there's huge depth and mystery in her playing. With absolutely spot-on intonation and a rich, dark tone, she consistently nails this technically challenging but emotionally charged music. Cellist Gayle Masarie channels the best of Yo Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer, consistently framing the bottom of this music with statements of great depth and felicity.
But it's the leader who makes the strongest impression: the overall concept, flawlessly executed by all involved, all tunes, and the majority of solo statements are hers. That she manages to compose, lead, and improvise with such absolute assurance and aplomb marks her as a consummate musician. Moreover, she has a unique approach to the piano, at once delicate, precise, and powerful, eliciting from the instrument passion, nuance, and strength as called for.
Standout tunes include the beguiling Japanese flavored "Sushi Dinner," the probing "Questions," and the provocative "Temptation." I'm also very taken by the title track, "The Call," filled with mystery and longing amid some absolutely stunning interaction among flute, piano, and cello (with both striking pizzicato and arco playing), "Daisy," "Garden in May," and "Sunny Day in the Woods" with their French Impressionist feel (and English, too--Delius comes to mind), the virtuoso piece, "Windy Day in the Countryside," with its evocative percussive stylings, and perhaps my two personal favorites, "Full Moon," its lushness calling to mind warm September evenings with a huge yellow harvest moon suspended just above the Eastern horizon, and "Imaginary Lake," almost eight minutes of pure musical magic. But there's not really any weak tunes in the bunch. Whether balladic or up-tempo numbers, everything resonates with our deepest feelings and longings.
Absolutely not to be missed by anyone who wants gorgeous, brilliantly inspired music of the highest accomplishment."
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1