Taeko - Contemplation (2019)

"An Absolute Mastery of Musical Vocabulary and Timing" - All About Jazz

Japan-born Jazz singer based in New York, TAEKO's 4th album in the US as a leader.

In TAEKO’s own words:
“This album shows my true love and dedication to the African-American classical art form called jazz, as a singer who came from Japan where this music is truly loved.”

With a never-ending stream of musical ideas and fluidity of delivery that shows years of studying her craft, TAEKO has built a distinctively unique approach to jazz in addition to mastering the traditional vocal and instrumental aspects. This album features songs written by the beloved jazz greats such as Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Benny Golson, Mal Waldron, and Billie Holiday, with TAEKO’s unique point of view and arrangement.

The album starts off with the tribute to this year’s centennial celebration of Art Blakey, with TAEKO’s arrangement of the Japanese titled Cedar Walton Jazz Messenger classic “Ugetsu”.

The title track, McCoy Tyner’s “Contemplation”, continues Taeko’s exploration of the Doug Carn songbook. Taeko’s arrangement of the song adds Sumie Kaneko’s koto (Japanese 13-string harp) to the group, giving the pensive piece a distinctive Eastern tinged meditative flavor.