New Arrivals - Yoko Miwa
Reviewing the new albums released this spring, our attention was drawn to the latest project of the Boston-based Japanese pianist Yoko Miwa. "Songs of Joy" (Ubuntu Music 2021) - songs about joy, that is how the Japanese pianist chose to name the ninth album of her trio.
A musician who regularly plays in Boston clubs, a teacher at Berklee College and a concert artist, the pandemic forces Yoko Miwa to stay at home. Then she decided to write at least one piece every day. As a result, the album we are listening to today was gradually born. The project includes five original works by Miwa, as well as six covers of popular jazz standards, music by Thelonious Monk and songs from the 70's. For the finale, the pianist even refers us to "Led Zeppelin" and a cover of the popular "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You”.
Yoko Miwa was born in Japan and after receiving a classical music education, she continued her studies at Berklee. Each of her albums proves the power of constant live playing and how important it is not to stop. Rhythm, dense sound, constant improvisations are everywhere in her music. At the same time we can hear stylish and sophisticated phrases - the result of many, many works.
Yoko Miwa, on the other hand, is one of the professors at the Berklee Piano Department and trains students daily and passes on her skills and spirit to young musicians. Highly appreciated by both critics and big names in the piano industry such as Ahmad Jamal.
“Yoko Miwa has been gifted with both extraordinary musical skills and the pure spirit that is necessary for great art. We love her musical gifts and her beautiful spirit as well. ” - Ahmad Jamal
Today we settle in comfortably and let her piano take us into a world of optimism in these changing times. You will find Yoko Miwa's albums on digital platforms.
May 2021
Image ©MA
