Album Review: Epicycle from Yuto Mitomi

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Album:  Epicycle
Artist:  Yuto Mitomi
Label:  Self-Released
Website:  https://yutomitomi.com
 

The improvised prose penned by saxophonist-composer Yuto Mitomi gives his new recording Epicycle character and depth, keeping the dynamics of the tracks fluctuating and shapeshifting.  The title of the recording "refers to a geometric model used to explain the variations in speed and direction of the apparent motion of the Moon, Sun, and planets," states Mitomi's electronic press kit, giving the listener a vision of his motivation.

The arrangements are created by seaming polyrhythms, harmonic forms and melodic patterns, making tangential musings that wrap around one another then return to a middle ground where all the musicians come together.  Joining Mitomi on this expedition are Takahiro Izumikawa on piano, Moto Fukushima on six-string electric bass, and Keita Ogawa on drums and percussion.

The improvised flutter and flare of Mitomi's sax emotes an organic spirit that demonstrates his agile playing and melodic sensibility, moving into a sprightly shimmy that partners with the percussive tremors of Ogawa's drums and Fukushima's throbbing bass through "Epicycle Part II."  The scat-like shrills of his sax overlap the dissonant grating and glistening peal of Izumikawa's keys strewn across "Grappling Cats," as though illustrating the caterwauling of a pair of street cats.

Fukushima's plump bass notes smear a creamy sheen across "Moony Night" augmented by the soft billow of Mitomi's sax, changing to a Latin swing shuffle coursing through "Spline," supplemented by the bristling effects of Izumikawa's keys.  The furling puffs of Mitomi's saxophone sear and braise a free-verse scroll that shifts into a mane of contemplative soliloquies along "Same Sky, Same Night," creating a dulcet harmony with the tingling keys and gentle rhythmic pulse.

Born in Niigata and raised in Yokohama, Japan, Yuto Mitomi resettled in New York City in 2011.  His discography includes three albums as a leader and co-leader, including Continuation (2019), Utopia (2018), a duo project with New York-based Japanese guitarist Yuto Kanazawa, and Imaginably (2021).  Each addition portrays his development as a composer and collaborating saxophonist, shaping his parts to express his free-versing inclination and his sensitivity to nestle into the fabric of the scores.  He is a laudable saxophonist that others of his ilk will find inspiring.

Musicians:
Yuto Mitomi - saxophones
Takahiro Izumikawa - piano
Moto Fukushima - six-string electric bass
Keita Ogawa - drums and percussion.

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