Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis vol 1

Yuko Mabuchi – Yuko Mabuchi Plays Miles Davis, Volume 1  By Eddie Carter  Yuko Mabuchi has been making a positive statement on the jazz scene since her 2018 releases, Yuko Mabuchi Trio, Volumes 1 and 2.  She steps into the spotlight this morning to give her second live performance at Cammilleri Hall before an enthusiastic crowd.  Yuko Mabuchi Plays Miles Davis, Volume 1 (Yarlung Records YAR45588-171V) is a single 45-rpm audiophile album offering two jewels from Kind of Blue and two original tunes by the leader.  She’s working again with trio members Del Atkins on bass and Bobby Breton on drums, plus JJ Kirkpatrick on trumpet.  JJ is a member of Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet and my copy used in this report is the 2020 Stereo album. Yuko sets the groove for Side One with Miles’ All Blues, her enthusiastic notes on the introduction flowing as naturally as spoken words.  Continue Reading →

Yuko Mabuchi: Dee Dee McNeil

Jazz Impresario Dee Dee McNeil reviews Yarlung’s 15th Anniversary release of the iconic “YUKO MABUCHI PLAYS MILES DAVIS” Yuko Mabuchi, piano; JJ Kirkpatrick, trumpet; Del Atkins, bass; Bobby Breton, drums; Bob Attiyeh, Producer. One of the things that always impresses me about Yuko Mabuchi is her ability to transform familiar songs into shiny, new, gem-like pieces.  For example, on her presentation of “All Blues,” (arranged on her tribute to Miles Davis album), she turns the waltz-time upside down by playing the piece in 5/4 and 4/4 time.  It works!  She follows this pleasant surprise with a poignant and heart-felt analysis of “Blue in Green.”  You may remember that Bill Evans and Miles Davis composed this one and it’s a star on the ‘Kind of Blue’ album. This is such an emotionally heavy song and pianist, Yuko Mabuchi, along with JJ Kirkpatrick on trumpet, squeeze out every ounce of beauty.  I Continue Reading →

City of Los Angeles honors “Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis”

The City of Los Angeles presented Yuko Mabuchi with commendation for her 2019 release Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis, an album she recorded in the Brain and Creativity Institute’s Cammilleri Hall with JJ Kirkpatrick, trumpet; Del Atkins, bass and Bobby Breton on drums.  Tellingly, Albert Edmund Lord III presented this appreciation from the City of Los Angeles at the Catalina Jazz Club gala event supporting SAPPA, the after-school music education program in Watts where Yuko volunteers part of her time as the orchestra pianist and accompanist.  As Mr. Lord explained, Los Angeles appreciates Yuko’s interest in serving the community as much as it appreciates her meteoric abilities as a concert performer and recording artist.  The text of the commendation reads: Congratulations on the release of your album “Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis”.  Your passion and mission to ensure that influential and significant music and artists continue to live on in Continue Reading →

Newsletter: Feb. 13, 2017

Dear Friends, Today we celebrate South America! Executive producers Carlos & Haydee Mollura join me in celebrating the release of Antonio Lysy’s new album South America this Friday. Amazon and iTunes are taking preorders for Friday, and HDTracks and Yarlung Records are live and delivering today. NativeDSD will follow shortly. Tom Caulfield, Cliff Harris and I are finishing the DSD files for you in stereo and in surround sound. I love this disc. GRAMMY® Award winning cellist Antonio Lysy performs with his father, the legendary Argentine violinist Alberto Lysy in the Kodaly duo, and Coco Trivisonno (one of the last living members of Piazzolla’s ensemble) performs bandoneon in three arrangements we commissioned from him of songs by Carlos Gardel. With tango milongas taking place all over the world, the timing of South America seems fortunate. Luxuriate also in the Casals and Bach/Villa Lobos cello choirs, performed all by Antonio Lysy Continue Reading →

Genesis DSD Quartet, new DSD downloads

Genesis Advanced Technologies sponsored Yarlung’s new quartet of High Res DSD downloads, including Sir Neville Marriner, Frederic Rosselet, Petteri Iivonen, Smoke & Mirrors percussion ensemble, Gerard Schwarz, The Colburn Orchestra and Nigel Armstrong: Click here to connect directly with NativeDSD.com to download the music We sampled Elliot Midwood’s 45 RPM 180-Gram pressing of Ciaramella Dances, our March release. Thank you Adam, Rotem and Elliot, our executive producer. http://www.yarlungrecords.com/news/ciaramella-dances/ To celebrate the 100th birthday of Billie Holiday last week, we debuted the first 180 Gram vinyl pressing from Sophisticated Lady jazz quartet, with the ensembles improvisation on “Strange Fruit.” Thank you Ann and Bill Harmsen, executive producers! http://www.yarlungrecords.com/news/sophisticated-lady-jazz/ Our most heartfelt thanks to Gary Koh and Genesis Advanced Technologies for sponsoring the Genesis Quartet.  A thousand thanks also to Elliot Midwood and Nita Millstein for hosting our presentation at Acoustic Image.  Nita, you baked the most spectacular coffee cake for us! Continue Reading →

Sophisticated Lady

HDtracks | iTunes  | Native DSD Volume 1 | Native DSD Volume 2 | SoundCloud | Yarlung Records | Review | Sonics: 5 out of 5! Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet. Yarlung. This band of young jazz musicians follows in the classy-cool tradition of Shorty Rogers & His Giants, a tasteful swinging late 50s-early 60s outfit led by a principal creator of the West Coast sound. Recorded in Cammilleri Hall in LA, this debut album sounds astoundingly good. Recorded live, it gives one the feeling of having a ringside seat at an intimate jazz club. It opens with a politely swinging rendition of Jerome Kern’s “I’m Old Fashioned” that’s underscored by drummer Andrew James Boyle’s deft brushwork at the intro. Every nuance of JJ Kirkpatrick’s bristling trumpet solo here can be readily felt while Boyle’s switch to sticks on the ride cymbal is like sparklers being set off in the dark. Boyle’s gentle ballad “Gone” is a lyrical highlight while the Ellington-Strayhorn song “Isfahan” Continue Reading →