Eugenia Choe - Magic Light

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:09
Size: 111,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:21)  1. Shades of Light
(5:38)  2. Koquirri
(1:15)  3. Petals
(5:25)  4. A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing
(5:28)  5. The Magic Light
(4:55)  6. Scattered Chant
(5:42)  7. Maison de Crescent
(4:57)  8. When Lights Are Low
(5:48)  9. Where Our Hearts Stay
(5:34) 10. Astor Botanic

It takes nerve to come from (seemingly) out of nowhere to present a piano trio disc. The history runs deep there: Bud Powell, Tommy Flanagan, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett just a scratching of the surface of the bop and post bebop players in the game. Eugenia Choe, a new-to-the-scene New York-based pianist, enters the arena in a big way with her debut, Magic Light, and not as might be expected on a set heavy on the Standards. Eight of the ten tunes on the disc are Choe originals, with Billy Strayhorn's "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing" and Benny Carter's "When Lights Are Low" serving as the familiar touchstones. For top level piano trio players, technical excellence is the norm. The artist who rises above the crowd is the one who injects the music with the essence of their being, their soul, and brings a personal (bio) luminescence to the sound. Choe does that, deftly, already. Light is something of a theme here. 

The disc's opener, "Shades of Light" and the title tune, and Carter's "When Lights are Low," are all subtly crafted gems, glowing on multiple facets, painted in an impressionist style of diffuse light and muted colors. The tunes have a liquid architecture and an entrancing shape-shifting quality. Choe's "Petals," a brief opening of a delicate blossom, leads into a lovely reading of Strayhorn's "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing." The title tune, perhaps the only jazz piece ever inspired by a jellyfish, is a small masterpiece of composition and delivery, with the work of Choe's marvelous band mates drummer Alex Wyatt and bassist Danny Weller punching up the sound with assertively intricate interplay. Everything's here: the pianist's exquisite touch, her compositional acumen infused with an alluring and idiosyncratic intelligence, her soul, sympatico trio mates, adept sequencing, and a cool cover photo and design. This could be the debut of the year. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/magic-light-eugenia-choe-steeplechase-lookout-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Eugenia Choe: piano; Danny Weller: bass; Alex Wyatt: drums.

Magic Light

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Eugenia Choe - Verdant Dream

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:13
Size: 129,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:34)  1. Verdant Dream
(5:52)  2. Sunday Fatigue
(6:01)  3. Odd Birds
(6:51)  4. Ever Green
(5:32)  5. Midnight Mingle
(4:50)  6. Blue in Green
(4:28)  7. What
(4:32)  8. Milomonalo
(6:31)  9. Knock Knock
(4:58) 10. Wind Catcher

Korean-born New York-based pianist/composer Eugenia Choe received superlative reviews for her 2016 debut album 'Magic Light' (SCCD 33127) from the international press. Eugenia's second album is an impressive display of her original and intriguing compositions presented superbly by her working trio. https://www.propermusic.com/product-details/Eugenia-Choe-Verdant-Dream-261512
 

"Eugenia Choe rode her personally distinctive currents into this amalgamated music and made a magnificent record." ~ James Nadal, All About Jazz
 

"Everything's here: the pianist's exquisite touch, her compositional acumen infused with an alluring and idiosyncratic intelligence, her soul, sympatico trio mates, adept sequencing, and a cool cover photo and design. This could be the debut of the year." ~ Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

Personnel: Eugenia Choe (piano), Danny Weller (bass), Alex Wyatt (drums)

Verdant Dream

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