Pianists Art Hirahara and Mara Rosenbloom remind me how little I know about the jazz world. Though I’ve been writing about it in one place or another for almost 20 years, it still has many pleasant surprises in store for me. The latest recordings by each of these pianists are prime examples.

Art Hirahara
Balance Point (Posi-tone Records)
A review
On his recent release, Balance Point, pianist Art Hirahara had me in the opening seconds of the first track, “Mother’s Song.” Inspired by “Borboleta Pequinina” (“Little Butterfly”), which he first heard from artist Marisa Monte, the composition offers a lovely and deceptively simple melody whose elegant, uncluttered development by Hirahara, solo, unlocks the depth of feeling in the tune and in the performer. Working primarily in a trio format, with bassist Joe Martin and drummer Rudy Royston, who are joined by saxophonist Melissa Aldana on five tunes, Hirahara remains elegant and uncluttered through 12 original compositions and Ellington’s “Prelude to a Kiss.” On “Blessed Son, Mr. Weston,” the piano has a nice rhythmic rub against the bass and drums, and the rhythm section lofts Hirahara into his solo. Aldana joins in on the title track, on which the quartet ably resolves thorny questions. Aldana’s sound, dark and sensual, with a ripe ’round-midnight sophistication, captivates, and she matches Hirahara for both elegance and clarity of feeling. “G-Yokosa,” an homage to Thelonious Monk’s playfulness, features Aldana again and a swinging piano solo with great rhythmic accents. Hirahara opens “Prelude to a Kiss” with a fairytale magic in his touch and enlarges the tenderness through the length of the solo track. On “Fulcrum,” the trio begins an exploration that pulls them into a whirlpool before Aldana enters and imposes some order, and a delicate balance ensues. Hirahara sets gratitude to music on “Homage,” and on “Lament to the Fallen,” the trio offers an elegy to the jazz masters who have left us, with tender assistance from Aldana. A fully realized and complete work, Balance Point delivers a consistent and satisfying equilibrium between light and dark, reflective and active, touch and power, thoughtfulness and exhilaration.

Mara Rosenbloom presents
Flyways: Murmuration (Fresh Sound/New Talent)
A review
Mark Weber—poet, musician, master doodler, and walking repository of jazz history—introduced me to the work of pianist, composer, instructor Connie Crothers, who had a hand in the development of a number of remarkable musicians, including the pianists Virg Dzurinko, Kazzrie Jaxen, and Carol Liebowitz. To this list of captivating Crothers-connected pianists, we must now add the name of Mara Rosenbloom, whose recent release, Flyways: Murmuration, served as my introduction to her work. A prodigiously expressive and immediate pianist, Rosenbloom is joined by award-winning vocalist and surdo drummer Anaïs Maviel and bassist Rashaan Carter in a program that combines composed and intuitively improvised pieces. The centerpiece of the album, ranging from tenderness to rage and back again, is a 36+-minute exploration of the second poem in Adrienne Rich’s 21 Love Poems. Rosenbloom set the text to melodies and says in her notes that she “mapped out a course,” but the piece rides on the improvisational acumen of the trio—and Maviel’s astonishing vocalizing, which soars and plunges and quivers, employing a wide range of tones and timbres. In some spots inviting, in others startlingly confrontational, the piece settles into certainty, with Maviel’s voice emptying itself into open space.

The opening track, “Improvised Prelude: Greetings,” with the duo of Rosenbloom and Carter, provides an elegant introduction to their invention, musicianship, and availability. On “Bird Migration Theme 2—Take Off,” the trio mirrors the tremendous energy required to get off the ground, while on “Bird Migration Theme 1 — Landing,” they circle on thermals before making the decision to settle. The trio moves openly together, like a cloud of birds swirling in kaleidoscopic patterns. That avian movement is called “murmuration,” and it provides a splendid metaphor for the improvisational work of the trio.

Perhaps the most touching of the eight tracks is the solo finale, “These Foolish Things—For Connie Crothers, with Love,” on which Rosenbloom revisits one of the first songs she explored in her work with Crothers. In her notes, Rosenbloom says that the tune came to her in the course of a long solo recording session in which she had intended to “capture” another piece. She offers an unguarded expression of praise and gratitude, from the Monkish opening to its hymnlike sanctity, and at about 3:49, Rosenbloom turns the song inside out to reveal an even deeper level of love and respect for her mentor. Stunning.

When I received the album from Rosenbloom’s publicist and saw that she had a connection to Crothers, the first thing I did was email Mark Weber, a longtime champion of Crothers and her associates, to see what he could tell me about her. He responded:

Every time I seem to be in the same room with Mara she slips away before I have a chance to tell her what Connie said about her!
Connie and I used to have telephone conversations and Connie said about Mara (and you may quote me) “She’s got something special, Mark, keep an eye out for good things to come from her”

Connie Crothers knew what she was talking about.

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© 2020 Mel Minter