Joelle Leandre - Masahiko Satoh - Yuji Takahashi: Signature - Live At The Egg Farm (2003)

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

Recent articles (1,629 total)

Published: February 1, 2003

Joelle Leandre - Masahiko Satoh - Yuji Takahashi: Signature - Live At The Egg Farm

This extraordinary 2-CD set highlights the enviable talents of bassist Joelle Leandre performing a series of duets with pianists Masahiko Satoh and Yuiji Takahashi. Recorded on two consecutive evenings at the Egg Farm in Japan, disc one features Leandre coalescing with Satoh for a rather fervent set. Folks, these are masterful exposés of like-minded artists whose synergy and affixation of musical spirits presents a distinct sense of oneness. Embellished by chamber-like sonic characteristics, the musicians express their collaborative faculties - where ideas are shared, reconfigured and implemented in vibrant fashion. On “Signature 3,” Leandre executes a blistering arco bass passage, countered by Satoh’s flailing arpeggios and exhaustively paced soundscapes. The soloists convey a broad palate of mood altering movements, spanning notions of whimsy, peril and much more.

Many of the passages on disc one are constructed upon rhythmically charged chord voicings, propulsive ostinatos and complex harmonic structures. With “Signature 6,” Leandre makes her bass weep and snarl, subsidized by polytonal sounds and an unfathomably disciplined attack atop Satoh’s complementary accents. On disc two, Leandre and Takahashi commence with an introspective mindset, consisting of dark, brooding lines and swirling undercurrents. Most notably evidenced on “Signature C.” However, the duo proceeds along a path that bespeaks gradually climactic forays and trance-like cadenzas. Through it all, the musicians demonstrate a form of musical mysticism that transcends the norm. A masterful effort, indeed...

Red Toucan Records

Track Listing: Disc One: Signature 1-7; Disc Two: Signature A-G

Personnel: Joelle Leandre: bass Masahiko Satoh: piano (disc one)

Record Label: Red Toucan Records
Style: Modern Jazz