Category: Review

Jessica Duchen’s Classical Music Blog : Antonio Lysy

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Reading Jessica Duchen’s Classical Music Blog today is a treat because she publishes an essay by cellist Antonio Lysy which is a tribute to his father, Alberto Lysy (1935-2009). In her post, Duchen talks about Antonio’s recent recording on Yarlung Records: Back in 2001 Alberto and Antonio recorded the Kodály Duo for violin and cello together. This recording was released for the first time just a few weeks ago. Hungarian as Kodály may be, the album is in fact called South America and features works by Piazzolla, Villa-Lobos, Coco Trivisonno and more – paying tributes to Antonio’s multifarious background and influences. The South American repertoire is irresistibly seductive and atmospheric, while the Kodály, performed with tremendous intensity, bravura and sensitivity, is more than a treat and a half. In this guest post, Antonio tells us about the coaching his father received from Yehudi Menuhin and Zoltan Kodály himself. Read Dunchen’s blog and Lysy’s Continue Reading →

Jorge Capadocia reviews “Yuko Mabuchi Trio” for NativeDSD

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Yuko Mabuchi Trio: Some Standards and some nice surprises This live recording starts with What Is This Thing Called Love and Yuko’s playing, along with Bobby’s drum solo, immediately engages the audience. Throughout the album, Yuko is very sensitive and lyrical in her playing and does not go for bombast unless the music demands. When it does though, like in Sona’s Song (a composition of her own), we are in for a real treat: a very intense outburst erupts, breaking a simple delicate melody. Del Atkins and Bobby Breton are supportive in their playing, with… well executed solos. The musical rapport among them is evident in Seriously, in which the ornamented piano playing is executed over a repetitive and rhythmic bass – roles are switched for a moment and the transitions sound very fluid. Other highlights include a Japanese medley that goes from delicate to psychedelic (!) to spirited, and Continue Reading →

Michael Lavorgna writes glowingly about Yuko Mabuchi Trio in AudioStream

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Audio Stream’s Michael Lavorgna waxes poetic about Yuko Mabuchi and her trio (December, 2017) However, there is one recent release which is so good in terms of the music, musicianship and sound quality that it deserves a mention on its own… …namely the Yuko Mabuchi Trio recording from Yarlung Records. In the liner notes, Ms. Mabuchi notes that she is a fan of two of my favorite jazz pianists, Oscar Peterson and Monty Alexander, and it shows both in terms of her playing and how she presents the material. Only Monty could pull off making “Feelings” into compelling piece or turn “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” into a stomping jazz swing piece. Ms. Mabuchi does the same thing with my favorite piece here, a fantastic re-imagining of Sara Bareilles’ “Seriously” into a reggae flavored soulful affair. Read more at about the Yuko Mabuchi Trio at AudioStream.

Luxuriating: The Yuko Mabuchi Trio (2017)

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…Yuko Mabuchi takes command of both her instrument and the listener’s ears from the first stroke of the album’s opener, Cole Porter mainstay, “What Is This Thing Called Love” and through all eight live-recorded masterpiece tracks.  Produced by Randy Bellous… the live album is a must-own for piano trio aficionados and jazz lovers of all stripes. A tremendous highlight of the album is… “On Green Dolphin Street.”  Pitched in Bill Evans’ preferred key of E-flat…. Dave Brubeck himself would have applauded the tight interplay of time between one half of the head, presented in a heavy ¾ that alternates sweetly with the straight ‘four-on-the-floor’ 4/4 of the next four bars of the same phrase….  Mabuchi, delicious bassist Del Atkins, and tasty drummer Bobby Breton make it new all over again…. Mabuchi’s right hand is the star of each of her solo flights.  Clean, precise, and crisp like forebears Teddy Wilson, Continue Reading →

Yuko Mabuchi Trio Review on Musicalmemoirs Blog

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The following review of the Yuko Mabuchi Trio is from the blog “Musicalmemoirs Blog” written by Dee Dee McNeil. YUKO MABUCHI TRIO Yarlung Records Yuko Mabuchi, piano; Del Atkins, bass; Bobby Breton, drums This live recording is an awe-inspiring work of art. Pianist Yuko Mabuchi is as exciting on recording as she is in person. Here is a production that sparkles with improvisational creativity, energy, and the piano talents of a young and developing super star. Yarlung’s founder first heard the Yuko Mabuchi Trio at Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood. The very next day he offered to record their album. This concert was recorded at the USC campus  in Cammilleri Hall. This space is used for master-classes and recitals. It’s the same concert venue designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, where Yarlung previously recorded Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet in 2014. Jazz pianist and educator, Billy Mitchell, served as associate producer on this Continue Reading →

Read Jeff Wilson’s review of Yuko Mabuchi Trio in The Absolute Sound

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If the eponymous debut album by the Yuko Mabuchi Trio can be seen as a coming out party, it’s hard to imagine the musicians squeezing anything more out of the event. The nearly hour-long set includes some well-known jazz standards, including a gorgeous On Green Dolphin Street and an exuberant romp through Sonny Rollins’ St. Thomas. During a solo piano medley, Mabuchi’s reconstruction of Take the “A” Train displays a fertile imagination and a confident left hand. A sly reading of Sara Bareilles’ Seriously shows Mabuchi’s ability to spot a pop song that translates nicely into the jazz idiom. Her interpretive skills also surface on a composition by TAS music reviewer Mark Lehman, Waltz Noir; here the trio uses a classical composition as a launch pad for some highly evocative noir jazz. If Mabuchi’s playing can be described as tasteful, economical, and lyrical, it should also be noted that her Continue Reading →

Newsletter: Sep. 5, 2017

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Dear Friends, Greetings and happy weekend. Two pieces of musically delicious news to share! Sibelius Piano Trio has received a Nomination for a Latin GRAMMY Award for Diego Schissi’s wonderful composition Nene, commissioned by Yarlung Artists Coretet and underwritten by Leslie Lassiter, Raulee Marcus and Steve Block. Kudos to Diego, the Sibelius Piano Trio, and to executive producer Ann Mulally and 100th Anniversary sponsors Linda and Randy Bellous! Here is the album if you’d like another copy. [Reviews & Articles] Also, our wonderful new CD featuring Yuko Mabuchi Trio comes out this weekend! Help yourself! Video and Music Jeff Wilson’s review in The Absolute Sound Robert H. Levi’s review in Postive Feedback Thoughts by Peter Rutenberg Have a wonderful weekend! I look forward to seeing our board, executive producers and major donors at our Yarlung Annual Meeting and concert in a few weeks! Thank you to so many of you for making our work possible. Sincerely, Bob Attiyeh

Peter Rutenberg reviews Yuko Mabuchi debut on Yarlung Records

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Review: Yuko Mabuchi, piano; Del Atkins, bass; Bobby Breton, drums by Peter Rutenberg Yuko Mabuchi Trio’s new CD on Yarlung Records makes great listening! They play several jazz standards with strength and authority, each with distinct colors and approaches. Lush harmonies suggest a sense of fuller orchestration, in the same vein as Brahms’ piano works, while fluid rhythms refresh at every turn. The trio exhibits consummate musicality and technique – with artful phrasing led by the pianist, a lyrical sensuousness in the bassist’s melodic counterpoints with the piano, and the drummer’s intelligent vocabulary and broad sweep tying it all together. Three brief points exemplify these qualities: Take the “A” Train roars into Harlem and beyond, stylistically speaking; the Japanese folksong Sakura (Cherry Blossom) finds delicate color and nuance in Debussy-esque harmonies; and the Latin rhythm tropes of the opening track, What Is This Thing Called Love, return in full regalia Continue Reading →

Review: Yuko Mabuchi Trio Concert

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by Robert H. Levi Senior Associate Editor at Large, Positive Feedback Yuko Mabuchi plays the ivories with the touch of an angel and the understanding of an artist many times her young age. She is backed by seasoned musicians with strong drive plus an acute sense of playing with and not over the pianist. This is Yarlung’s third jazz album recorded like you wish all performances were recorded: listening is just like being there. All that’s missing here is the expensive tickets and sticky floor! The selection of mostly standards and stand-outs is delightful and hard to leave. I liked every one of them, particularly the All The Things You Are, Take The A Train, Satin Doll Medley and St. Thomas, a Sonny Rollins classic. The Japanese Medley was hauntingly gorgeous and intriguing. I played it twice in my first listening pass. The album is all about Yuko Mabuchi and Continue Reading →