Yoko Miwa Trio; The Mad Monkfish; Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Yoko Miwa Trio have become a regular Friday night outfit at The Mad Monkfish in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Headed up by Boston’s by way of Japan jazz pianist Yoko Miwa, the trio offer two solid sets of modern and classic jazz standards. With 30 years of recognition in her adopted city and nine albums to her credit, Miwa can meet the demands of the most discriminating tastes. She proved it throughout her second set from last Friday night at the popular Massachusetts Avenue nightspot.
The three opened with “Silver Treads Upon The Soul” by Horace Silver, a mid tempo run of contrasting darker chords and brighter, quicker high notes. The contrast allowed Miwa, a Boston Music Awards winner, to show her elegance and ear for sound variations. It was uncanny how well the rhythm section of drummer Scott Goulding and upright bass player Brad Barrett created a gentle, tasteful underpinning. Although low key, the trio could make their notes ripple across the room. One could hear the brightness of the piano notes as well as the smooth bowing action from the upright when it was time for a more melodic use of that instrument.
Next piece was “O Chinês e a Bicicleta” by Joyce Moreno. The Miwa trio played it with a touch of density, thick notes that widened into something bright and sparkly. One could feel all of the moving parts in this piece, moving like a magic carpet. That is probably because the resonance or overtones of each instrument met in the right way at the right time, creating another layer of emotive breeze.
The trio turned 1950s country into something sounding much like 1950s jazz with their take on Patsy Cline’s “So Wrong.” Miwa paid out a rhythmic line, a melody with a lot of snap, crackle, and pop. Beneath that hip cat daddy-oh finger snapping piano vibe, Barrett pressed out such a smooth bulbous line it sounded like a saxophone. It was modern jazz played with the right touch, just the right flip of the wrist. One could feel the 1950s jazz influence as it sounded like something from a jazz piano bar of that era, something that could have been played at a beatnik poetry reading. To hear those tinkling piano notes, the tasteful low end bowing, and the ever so gentle stick work made one feel like a time traveler.
Miwa dedicated her original tune “Sorrowful Moon,” from her 2003 Fadeless Flower album, to the Artemis spaceship crew. Its even tempo and palpable notes made it a gentle piece for the Mad Monkfish diners. Interestingly enough, Miwa injected a sterling quality to her melodic line without letting the piece become too hard charging. That Miwa composed something so subtle yet so involving at such an early stage in her career speaks to the descriptions of her as a legend in the greater-Boston music industry. Every one of her notes as well as the subtle notes coming from the rhythm section kept it motion as it soothed the soul and pleased the ear.
The Mad Monkfish jazz venue and restaurant; Cambridge, Massachusetts
Moody, mid tempo, augmented by considerately placed dollops of low end notes, “Down By The Riverside” felt like the title suggested, with a river being a place of reflection and endless possibilities. A combination of those low end notes with left hand piano notes created the most emotive wave of the evening. Sly right hand notes conjured a feeling of something moving with the currents, moving in time with the spiritual grist that comes from this traditional piece. Don’t get me wrong. There was still plenty of grit in this number. Miwa hit the groove just right to conjure memories of all of the stand out renditions of this timeless piece of Americana.
The trio moved onto McHugh Field’s “I’m In The Mood For Love.” Goulding, who had been sensitive to what every song needed, gave this a precise stick work. Placing a palpable beat beneath driving piano work and a run of nimble low end, the drummer kept the piece in traveling mode. His solo spot provided a glimpse into his sense of dynamics and tempo. Goulding kept a current of pulpy finesse beneath the eloquent piano work and subtle bass. Miwa utilized the platform Goulding created to play a start and stop melodic line that added a bit of urgency to this romantic piece. It was intriguing to hear and watch the interaction between drummer and pianist.
The trio closed out with plenty of rumble. Miwa’s dark, edgy chords and Goulding’s palpable drum fills filled the room with a heavy, cascading tumble of notes. It had that thunderous clash of instruments, even though they were augmenting each other, all coming in at the right time. The trio switched back to the rhythmic jump blues that they started this piece with without missing a beat.
It was a strong set from the Yoko Miwa Trio, filling The Mad Monkfish with their tuneful, spirited, performances. After nine albums, including a number one on National Jazz Radio Charts, and countless live appearances, The Yoko Miwa Trio have become a fixture in the busy, competitive greater-Boston music scene.
