I gave a cursory listen to Libations & Meditations (Posi-Tone), the latest album by New York pianist Art Hirahara, when it dropped back in January. It sounded solid, and I put back on the shelf meaning to give it more time down the road. I wasn’t thinking that would be seven months later, but it was only this week that I really got to sit down with the trio recording, which features the wonderful Linda Oh on bass and John Davis on drums. The truth is that there are hundreds upon hundreds of highly skilled jazz musicians we’ve never heard of at work today—it’s practically impossible to keep track of them all, although it’s not quite as hard to distinguish those that merely possess prodigious technical ability from those with a genuine vision. I’m not quite prepared to say Hirahara is in that latter category, but his album definitely stands out.
- courtesy of the artist
- Art Hirahara
Today’s playlist:
