Hiroshi Murayama Trio “Ballad of Lyrics”

(Daiki Musica 2009)
Hiroshi Murayama – piano
Daiki Yasukagawa – bass
Philippe Soirat -- drums

Murayama’s aptly titled piano trio recording starts off with the title track, a lush ballad that is lyrical and full of feeling. The stop time and chording makes a deep connection to a deeper level of emotive playing that lasts all the way through the recording. This recording relies on sense and feeling, tact and depth, and still swings hard.

The straight-ahead speed on “BeBop” is more than a vibrant flow of notes, and gets into the piece with impressive virtuosity. It’s Murayama’s originals, though, that are the most moving. “Coming from the Seine,” a piece reflecting Murayama’s experience and residence in France, is particularly impressive. He mixes European modernist tonalities with jazz in the best way--impressionistic, poetic, and lyrical.

“The Look of Love” and “My Funny Valentine” are deep, ponderous, and fully realized, both taken at a swift tempo that brings out new flavors and feelings to both of those often-slow-tempo numbers. Murayama may have included these standards to satisfy some marketing executive, but he endows them with substance and his own unique voice. All too often, piano trios lose their uniqueness with standards, but Murayama is just the opposite—the standards accentuate his taste and approach.

“The Deep Valley” works with an arco statement of the melody by bassist Yasukagawa that feels like warm mittens for your ears. It is comfortable, yet feels zippy and new. Yasukagawa is perfect in this setting. His timing is impeccable and he is always ready with a solo, but it’s the extras he brings that impress most--the right moment for arco, the added bounce of skipping-up notes, and the right positioning between the front and back of the sound.

Drummer Soirat is firm yet delicate. His accents and punches show a readiness to drive the trio, but the sense to let everyone move at their own pace. He keeps things focused and finely fluid even when switching the tempo and slipping out of standard meters. Clearly, the trio has played together with each member knowing each other’s feelings and directions, and digging the motion all around. Hopefully, there will be many more recordings from Murayama soon.