At first listen to Jo-Yu Chen there is little wonder as to why Chen is a Steinway artist. To refer to Chen as the future of jazz may be a tad presumptuous but whether you are listening to Incomplete Soul or Obsession there is little doubt that there is a new and very exciting voice that is creating a ripple effect throughout the rather close knit jazz community. Positive feedback is consistent and with high praise coming from such colleges as her mentor Grammy nominated Sam Yahel and the incredibly gifted pianist Jason Moran there is little doubt that Chen's musical stock is an arrow pointing straight up.
Obsession is the first Sony release that hit the streets in early 2011. A dazzling mix of Chen originals, five covers of jazz standards and a wonderful interpretation of the Taiwan folk tune "Waiting for Spring Breeze" there is a traditional yet somewhat impressionistic approach taken allowing for tremendous freedom of lyrical development to be played out as each tune develops.
"Baby, You Are Fired!" is a tune after my own heart after utilizing social media to literally fire certain friends that were literally "not working out." In reality "Baby, You Are Fired" is a positive tune about pushing forward past the negative individual roadblocks we all encounter. A soulful lyrical opening from stellar bassist Christopher Tordini kicks off a tune filled with an obvious air of dynamic tension but also of an intriguing air of sonic mystery while drummer Tommy Crane adds the appropriate finesse called for to act as the musical ties that bind these delightful trio together. "Sunday Rain" begins to dictate a unique personal ebb and flow of a textured impressionistic look at vibrant talent with a unique compositional approach to her music. Chen writes with no specific pre-conceived subject matter but approaches her craft from the visceral abstract point of feeling. An artist truly channeling an inner creative voice that few contemporaries ever realize much less listen to. "Everything I Love" is a more straight ahead lyrical number with a subtle swing and infectious groove that only begins to highlights the groove that this trio is capable of laying down. The iconic standard "Summertime" is reinvented into a more hard bop shuffle of harmonic expression as new life is breathed into a standard that has been done to death my most trios.
Jo-Yu Chen's background as a classically trained pianist that has made an all most effortless transition to the vibrant and incredibly competitive traditional scene happening in the New York area is causing critics and fans to sit up and take notice and for good reason. Jo-Yu Chen is not the next generation of jazz but instead part of a generation of musicians charting their own course and establishing their own unique and inventive voice at a time when jazz is in need of a much needs talent transfusion.
Jo-Yu Chen is a prodigious talent. Whether it is her relatively young age, an intense classical training that allows her compositions to take on a more grounded impressionistic quality, or simply raw dynamic talent for Jo-Yu Chen the next generation if not the future of jazz is now!
Picking the best of for 2011 was incredibly difficult. Announcing that Jo-Yu Chen is my artist of the year is relatively easy. In a year with the landscape dotted with various piano trios and few cutting any new or lasting ground, Chen is one of perhaps three I will remember for years to come!
Tracks: Baby, You Are Fired; Sunday Rain; Everything I Love; Waiting For The Spring Breeze; Obsession; Walking In B's Shoes; Tears; I Fall In Love Too Easily; Blues Connotation; Summertime; Bonus - Cry Me A River.
Personnel: Jo-Yu Chen: piano; Christopher Tordini: bass; Tommy Crane: drums; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.
A taste of Jo-Yu Chen from her other Sony release Incomplete Soul via You Tube.
