Art Hirahara - piano, organ
Boris Kozlov - bass
Rudy Royston - drums, percussion
Donny McCaslin - tenor sax, alto flute
Pianist Art Hirahara unearths the heavenly landscapes
of “Verdant Valley” on his eighth album for
Posi-Tone Records. Searching for new realms of
engaging expression, Hirahara perseveres steadily
along on his personal journey of musical unfoldment.
With a steady hand, Hirahara displays a
clear sense of creative continuity, and succeeds
in creating a bold impassioned statement with
significant and meaningful contributions from his
trusted collaborators: tenor saxophonist Donny
McCaslin, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer
Rudy Royston. The program is eminently lyrical
and clearly suggestive of a modern jazz sensibility,
while the focus remains melodically straight
forward with a steady flow of thoughtful interplay
and hard swinging highlights. With an amazing
combination of talents and an evocative program
of brilliant performances, “Verdant Valley” is sure
to bring bright moments of intense delight to serious
listeners and jazz fans everywhere.
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