Printed on the cover of this album is the subtitle Plays Standards. It’s not unusual to see jazz album titles or groups that include the word standards — see Keith Jarrett’s great standards trio and set of albums — and it’s a smooth way to introduce the concept for the collection. As a result, fans of jazz piano trio albums will find familiar material in this latest album from the Takako Yamada Trio. Naturally, these song choices have been heard on other jazz albums in recorded history.

In particular with this tracklist, four of the selections are songs that the legendary pianist Bill Evans was known for and recorded famous versions of. Track #1 “I Should Care” (on Evans’ How My Heart Sings, Bill Evans at Town Hall, other live albums), track #2 “How Deep is the Ocean” (Evans’ Explorations, Jazzhouse, live albums), track #3 “Yesterdays” (Live at Ronnie Scott’s), and track #6 “All of You” (Sunday at the Village Vanguard, and many others). In fact, all four of these jazz standards could be said to be frequent picks of Evans and appear on his most popular trio and live albums.

Of course, being standards, other famous jazz pianists have covered these songs. These are tunes that can be often heard today in jazz student classrooms and community jam sessions. Yet, the fact that four of the six standards were also favorites of pianist Bill Evans gives a good indication as to the influences and style that Yamada’s trio is playing at The Moment.

It’s not just songs associated with the jazz piano of Bill Evans on this album, though. Track #4 is “When Summer Comes” by grandmaster pianist Oscar Peterson, a pretty ballad inserted mid-set for a relaxing daydreaming delight. Following that, track #5 is bassist Charlie Haden’s signature tune “Waltz for Ruth”, a highlight of Haden’s duet with guitarist Pat Metheny, and its lightly descending melody and drifting quality lend itself nicely to Takako Yamada Trio’s graceful style.

The last song is one of Yamada’s original compositions, played as an encore for the live set. The open chords and patient melody traverse the shifting major and minor harmonies as drummer Ko Omura taps out soul-deep rhythms on tabla drums, and the album’s final three minutes wind down in a vamp, fading away from these live moments.

As for the long-lasting power and admiration of jazz standards, pianist/writer Ethan Iverson’s recent article on standards (and today’s part 3), explains the term and provides many examples of how jazz musicians throughout history absorbed and transformed the original music and transformed the templates. His invaluable analysis includes four of the songs on this album: How the original sheet music for “I Should Care” landed with Thelonious Monk. The impact of “How Deep is the Ocean” on Bill Evans (and vice versa) and Chick Corea. The reinvention of “Yesterdays” by Art Tatum and John Scofield. How “All of You” touched Ahmad Jamal, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro, Wynton Kelly, and Herbie Hancock. Like all masterful jazz musicians, they left their individual stamps on the standards, using the medium of the compositions as launchpads for their explorations.

Obi Notes

Live at The Moment

A special album recorded with an audience who was invited to wear headphones and compare the high-quality recorded audio with the live sound.

Takako Yamada Trio

Audio and Video

• Audio for “I Should Care” (track #1):

• Audio for “How Deep Is the Ocean” (track #2):

• Audio for “All of You” (track #6):

• Full playlist for this album

• Excerpt from track #7: “Hill Road-坂道- (Hill Road-Sakamichi-)”

Starting assertively with a modern jazz/rock feel, electric guitar and acoustic piano lay out high opening stakes for an album filled with dramatic creativity. The songs explore moments of musical sensitivity, relaxed swing, Monkish joy and freedom, and bluesy contemplation, with full sounds of crystal piano tones, warm electric guitar, bright drum work and deep, dark bass anchoring the group sound.

For added variety, a wonderfully plaintive trumpet is present on several tracks and provides a sweet organic mellowness. Adding to the mix, some of the more magical parts of the album feature the lush instrumentation of ethereal tabla drums, interlude-like sections with a deep and exotic meditative tinge.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video with excerpts from several songs on the album:

• Video of “Starting Over” from the album release live show in 2013 with event photos:

• Excerpt from track #1: “ランドスケープ (Landscape)”