Harvie S cranks it out. The bassist is either gigging, traveling to a gig or releasing albums as a leader or sideman. I love his energy, his passion for jazz and his music. His latest album, New York Memories, is a beautiful duet recording with his wife, pianist Yukimi Maeda. It's the kind of album that you can listen to all day long, and if you're writing, painting or creating in any way, it's inspiring.
The tracks are splendidly chosen: Bill Evans's Time Remembered, My Shining Hour, Autumn in New York, Harvie's Next Year's Song, All the Things You Are, Tadd Dameron's Hot House, Misty, Harvie's Can't Go Home, I Hear a Rhapsody and Danny Boy (with Sheila Jordan on the vocal).
Harvie and Yukimi are perfect together. Yukimi is a strong, poetic player with terrific bop chops and lush elegance, as you'll hear on Misty (which she plays solo), Time Remembered and Autumn in New York. Throughout, Harvie wraps his marvelous bass around her keyboard as both a musical partner and time-keeper, and his solos are warm and deliberate. Both of Harvie's originals are sublime, and Yukimi plays them with intensity and tenderness.
My favorite track is Time Remembered. Hopefully, Harvie and Yukimi will return at some point with a Bill Evans tribute album. Their depth and magical chemistry on the Evans catalog would be marvelous.
By the way, this is their second album together. The first was Yukimi's I'll Close My Eyes. Harvie played bass and produced the album, and Vince Ector was on drums.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Harvie S and Yukimi Maeda's New York Memories (RVS) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Time Remembered...
And here's Yukimi playing Misty...
Bonus: Here's Yukimi and Harvie recording Autumn in New York in September 2022 at the Jazz Forum in Tarrytown, N.Y...
