Junko Onishi “Musical Moments” (Somethin’ Else 2009)

Junko Onishi – piano
Yosuke Inoue – bass
Gene Jackson – drums
(Reginald Veal – bass and Herlin Riley – drums on bonus tack)

Junko Onishi has long been one of the most popular pianists in Tokyo. Her years backing famed jazz masters in the States along with her vibrant attitude to the music have earned her respect and fans. This new release comes nearly a decade after her last one, 1999’s rock groove outing “Fragile.” This recording is entirely different from that one, with several self-penned numbers, three Eric Dolphy tunes and three standards. Recorded in New York, except for a live medley at Tokyo Blue Note, it is a vital new work that finds Onishi’s forceful playing unbridled. The result is much more of her as the accomplished and powerful musician she truly is.

Starting the CD with a Dolphy tune, “Hat and Beard,” the trio moves from the skipping, child-game-like intro to a bursting exploration of open-form jazz that would have pleased Dolphy. The standards, of course, no doubt made the big-label company men happy, but Onishi has a lot to say on the Koehler-Arlen standards spaced evenly through the CD. Her chordal structures are elastic and energetic. She seems to be able to take the lead lines in any direction and make them strong and whole.

Her own compositions, though, sound best. “Back in the Days” gets a fast paced take, with plenty of slapping bass and throbbing drum. Her long, fluid lines never feel forced or hurried, but have exuberance to match her technique. The number is fun and edgy both, a rare combination. Her extended soloing here seems effortlessly vibrant. The same goes for her other original “Bittersweet,” which is taken at a slightly slower tempo. Sharp minor chords break up the chord progression with a kind of musical irony that is very intriguing. Inoue and Jackson add a lot without interrupting the serious statements Onishi wants to make.

The title track, is a real pianists’ piece, with room to move and explore. She obviously wrote this number for herself, a kind of present to herself, and knows just what to do with it. Her solos here drag your ears in delightfully criss-crossing patterns delivered with phrasing and voicing. Her own compositions have the fullest workouts. She is both inside and on top of the chords, finding line after line, and giving Inoue and Jackson plenty of space to do the same. Maybe her next CD will be all her own compositions.

Dolphy’s “G.W.” is the farthest out of the tracks, with everyone playing fast and furiously, stopping and starting and digging in to each successive motion of the song. Her affinity for Dolphy is more than just picking his songs, but draws on the strength and power of expression that he championed. Good jazz often comes down to musical personality. Onishi’s is special. Now, if Onishi could take that onto one CD a year, rather than one a decade, her many admirers would be all the more satisfied.