Possessing extraordinary technique and imagination, pianist Yosuke Yamashita is a pioneer of the Japanese avant-garde. He has performed at NYC’s Carnegie Hall, and was awarded the Imperial Medal of Honor by the Japanese government for his artistic work. This live festival recording of Yamashita’s trio was made during a highly successful European tour. The trio’s dynamic energy and exploratory spirit are in full force, as evidenced by the audience’s ecstatic reaction. Double Helix projects an intense duo, intertwining drums & piano, while on Nita Yosuke plays an astounding solo, dispersing phrases in energetic bursts, and even takes a bow to tradition with a walking bass line. On Chiasma all hell breaks loose, with frenzied drums and inspired parallel dialogs between piano and sax. Horse Trip produces another frenetically intense piano-drum duet, whereas on Introhach Takeo Moriyama executes a pyrotechnical drum solo. Hachi has the trio in free form – Pollack in sound – transcendence. If you dig free jazz you’ll treasure this album; if you don’t, this music could change your mind.
