Album Review: Quartet Vol. 1 from Takeshi Asai

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Album:  Quartet Vol 1
Artist:  Takeshi Asai
Label:  Fono Bono Records
Websites:  http://www.takeshiasai.com
http://epk.takeshiasai.com/

Pianist-composer Takeshi Asai puts modern day sagas to music.  His latest release Quartet Vol 1 from Fono Bono Records parlays a string of stories into emotionally stirring compositions that incite audiences to reflect, to escape, and to daydream.  A savant at creating atmospheric soundscapes, Asai encapsulates decades of experiences into 9 original tracks, each expressive and each a log taken from a memoir.

Upbeat and sublime, "Minor Holiday" brandishes a bopping groove tailored by bass player Bob Gingery and drummer Brian Woodruff, as Hashem Assadullahi's alto sax dazzles with improvised chord patterns.  Asai's keys joins in the cheerful mood with a pulsating vamp, culminatiing into a gamut of pyrotechnics.  The recording slows to a daydreamy atmosphere through "On-Hold Music." as Assadullahi's sax weaves lounging furls and Asai's keys soften to a warm, sudsy froth, producing cozy aesthetics that make for an enjoyable listening experience.

Turning morose and sullen along  "A," the quartet journeys through intensely somber-toned passages, projecting an eerie aura.  "Adagio" brightens to a reflective sonorous, as Assadullahi's saxophone produces floating sensations and shifts to a jolly gait in "Cha Cha De Nada," enhanced by the percolating riffs of Asai's keys.  The juxtaposition of Assadullahi's solemn toots and Asai's soft rustling drives the stargazing ambience laden across "Flutas Y Plantas," making for an inviting escape.

A prolific composer, pianist, arranger, producer, recording artist, and live performer, Takeshi Asai has also worked with other leading artists and on various theater projects.  He is an honor graduate from Berklee College of Music, where he had studied with Laszlo Gardoney, who remains an esteemed friend today, Ed Tomassi, Joaane Brackeen, and Ed Bedner.  Additionally, Asai is an esteemed educator and a Steinway Educational Partner. He runs his own studio in New York, where he has taught more than 100 students and produced dozens of professional musicians.

Asai's 2024 release Quartet Vol. 1 is a memoir set to music.  The compositions will stir audiences to reflect, to escape, and to daydream, maybe even reliving some of their own memories.  

Musicians:
Takeshi Asai - piano
Hashem Assadullahi - alto saxophone
Bob Gingery - bass
Brian Woodruff - drums

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