Motorcycle Gang. Hahami Archive

Hanami – The Only Way to Float Free – ears&eyes

by Audiophile Audition | Jun 27, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Chicago jazz/improvisation with a Japanese cultural connection. Hanami – The Only Way to Float Free [TrackList follows] ears&eyes ee16-042 40:20 [4/22/16] ****: (Mai Sugimoto – alto saxophone, clarinet; Andrew Trim – guitar; Jason Stein – bass clarinet; Charles Rumback – drums) The name of the jazz quartet, Hanami, is the Japanese word for ‘flower viewing,’ specifically the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers. That’s appropriate. On Hanami’s debut, the 2014 self-titled Hanami Quartet, the band shaped Japanese folk songs into improvisational jazz material. The foursome continues in a similar vein on their sophomore release, The Only Way to Float Free. This time only one number is a recast version of a Japanese folk song, but the quartet’s originals have an innate, organically-generated aesthetic which elevates the sounds and tones Hanami established on their first album. This forward-thinking, Chicago-based ensemble includes Japanese and American musicians. Mai Sugimoto (who studied jazz in the US) is on alto sax and clarinet; Andrew Trim (who spent his childhood in Japan and later joined the Chicago jazz/improv scene) is on electric guitar; Jason Stein (also part of the Chicago music community; he’s performed with Mike Reed, Greg Ward and others) is […]