Akane Matsumoto: Night & Day

Jan 30, 2018

Fun and buoyant bebop jazz in the style of Oscar Peterson and Phineas Newborn Junior, this is a happy jazz record from a thoroughly swinging trio led by pianist Akane Matsumoto. Professional arrangements performed by highly skilled musicians result in a solid album ranging from amazing quick-tempo tunes to slower, romantic brush-stroke ballads. Matsumoto’s fourth album as a leader, Night & Day features the accomplished pianist with her “New York Trio,” her second release with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Gene Jackson since Memories of You (2015).

Alongside classic and rearranged standards from Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Billy Strayhorn, and Jimmy Van Heusen, Matsumoto showcases her skill and bebop affinity on the opening title track and Oscar Peterson’s “Place St. Henri,” while spreading softer wings on the graceful “Miss Sunshine” and her original “Quiet Rain,” a touching ballad which closes the album.