Jihye Lee – tackling sensitive subjects in another top jazz orchestral setting..
Jihye Lee Orchestra – Infinite Connections – Motema Music #MTM 0437 – CD – 63:20 – ****
(Jihye Lee – composer, conductor, arranger; Ben Kono – alto sax, piccolo, flute; Dave Pietro – alto sax, flute, alto flute; Jason Rigby – tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Jonathan Lowery – tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Carl Maraghi – baritone sax, bass clarinet; Brian Pareschi – trumpet, flugelhorn; Nathan Ecklund – trumpet, flugelhorn; David Smith – trumpet, flugelhorn; Stuart Mack – trumpet, flugelhorn; Mike Fahie – trombone; Alan Ferber – trombone; Nick Grinder – trombone; Jeff Nelson – bass trombone; Alex Goodman – guitar; Adam Birnbaum – piano; Matt Clohesy – bass; Jared Schonig – drums; Keita Ogawa – percussion)
Following up on her 2021 breakthrough orchestral jazz CD, Daring Mind, jazz composer, Jihye Lee, is returning this month with another major release, Infinite Connections. Here with an 18 piece orchestra of New York based front line brass and woodwind players, Ms. Lee, who composed and arranged all nine compositions, tackles major life issues. Whether it be death, karma, grief, fate, and immigrant family struggles, Jiyhe blends classical, jazz, and her native Korean folk rhythms. Lee transforms these themes into a blend that both intrigues, soothes, and provides avenues to ponder over what makes the universe tick.
The brass soars, woodwinds provide counterpoint, and the rhythm section pokes and prods keeping the pot stirred. Special guest, trumpeter, Ambrose Akinmusire, appears on the opening track, “Surrender,” as well as on “You Are My Universe.” The opener soars with clarion calls to accept what we cannot control, while “Universe,” celebrates birth, and a mother’s lifelong ties to her child.
Other winning tracks include “Karma,” which builds on a repetitive chorus, with bass and drums setting a somber mood, much like a Native American chant motif. Alto saxist, Ben Kono, is featured here. The ballad, “In the Darkest Night,” has pianist, Adam Birnbaum, with a moving solo. The closer, “Crossing the River of Grace,” deals with death and the possibility of an after life. Trumpeter, David Smith, provides a clarion call, on this deeply moving composition.
Jiyhe Lee is a rising star in the emerging orchestral jazz scene. Maria Schneider has led this movement, and Lee is continuing in this tradition, with rousing arrangements, allowing brass and woodwinds in a big band setting to both move and inspire.
—Jeff Krow
Jihye Lee Orchestra – Infinite Connections
Tracklist:
Surrender
We Are All From the Same Stream
Born in 1935
Eight Letters
Karma
You Are My Universe
Nowhere Home
In the Darkest Night
Crossing the River of Grace
