"This could be the debut of the year "
"This is the art of the piano tiro at its finest" - Dan McClenaghan for All about Jazz
"Superior Piano Trio Jazz" - Derek Ansell for Jazz Journal, UK
"Eugenia Choe rode her personally distinctive currents into this amalgamated music, and made a magnificent record" - James Nadal for All about Jazz
"All the preparation, patience and preemptive practice pay off with the music prented on Magic Light" - Derek Taylor for Dusted Magazine
"Choe's arrangements of familiar works break new ground" - Ken Dryden for New York City Jazz Record
( Check below for the entire reviews )
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Review from Derek Ansell for Jazz Journal, UK
Click the image to read the entire review!
Review from Ken Dryden for New York City Jazz Record
Review from Dan McClenaghan for All about Jazz
(Continued)
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.
Track Listing: Shades Of Light; Koquirri; Petals; A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing; Magic Light; Scattered Chant; Maison De Cresent; When Lights Are Low; Where Our Hearts Stay; Astor Botanic.
Personnel: Eugenia Choe: piano; Danny Weller: bass; Alex Wyatt: drums.
Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Steeplechase Lookout
Review from Derek Taylor for Dusted Magazine
http://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/144299438548/eugenia-choe-magic-light-steeplechase
Review from James Nadal for All about Jazz
(Continued)
The mood softens with the graceful "Petals," a piano/bass interval which glides intoBilly Strayhorn's "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing." A song where Choe and Weller show their accumulated jazz understanding with a straight ahead trio number. "Magic Light," exhibits Choe's aptitude for flotation in her writing, as sections appear to have a buoyant nature. The harmonious "Scattered Chant," has aggressive passages leading to the piano and bass solos, and a hymnological ending.
"Maison de Crescent," is a dreamy waltz with a traditional Korean jung jung mori rhythm, which is reminiscent of ancient blues patterns. They go fluently into the easy swing of "When Lights Are Low," penned by Benny Carter, the band slipping into the corner pocket with ease. Love is represented in the ballad "Where Are Hearts Stay," that is both joyous and contemplative, performed with the proper attitude for romance. They wrap it up with "Astor Botanic," an organic tribute to gardening, and the natural world, completed in a smooth and flowing matter.
Jazz continues to regenerate as more players come into the fold, honoring the timeless process of searching for their inner voice. The piano trio format is an intensive and laborious undertaking, requiring much practice and dedication, coupled with abundant talent, to achieve attainable goals. Eugenia Choe rode her personally distinctive currents into this amalgamated music, and made a magnificent record.
Track Listing: Shades Of Light; Koquirri; Petals; A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing; The Magic Light; Scattered Chant; Maison de Crescent; When Lights Are Low; Where Are Hearts Stay; Astor Botanic.
Personnel: Eugenia Choe: piano; Danny Weller: bass; Alex Wyatt: drums.
Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Steeplechase Productions