Yumi Ito - Stardust Crystals (2020) Hi Res

Yumi Ito is one of the graduates of the first year of the Focusyear program run by the Academy of Music in Basel. I have already had the opportunity to compliment a few projects of the participants of this project in various forums: for example, the duet performances of the heroine of this text with the guitarist Szymon Mika, who also took part in the inaugural edition of the program.

Today, however, the full attention will be focused on Yumi Ito, who opens her original discography with the album "Stardust Crystals". The album features eight compositions written and arranged by the leader herself. As many as eleven musicians took part in the recording session. Undoubtedly, the very choice of instruments that were involved in the creation process must arouse interest: strings, harp, array mbira - this already without a doubt heralds the originality of the whole.

Praise for "Stardust Crystals" will not end with the above curiosities, however. Ultimately, their use is what matters. And we can safely say that the overall effect is excellent. Of course, priority is given to Yumi's excellent vocal, which perfectly uses both traditional singing and scat, efficiently jumping between both techniques. But also the nuances of the second plan repeatedly arouse the enthusiasm of the listener.

Already in the title track opening the album, calm singing was countered by a slightly more dynamic vocalise. There are also more songful compositions on the album, with a memorable theme, like in "Little Things" or "What Seems To Be" - the latter with interesting a capella fragments. The delicate, ballad-like "Old Redwood Tree" with an interesting saxophone part is beautiful, broken by the solo of the strings that introduces the mood of a slight anxiety. The final "Spaziergangin Prag" surprises with its open form and the finale that begins in a pastiche-operatic convention and ends in free jazz.

In all this, there is a lot of space for the musicians invited to the album - Yumi can step back from the foreground, just like in "Ballad For The Unknown", where a subtle vocalise appears only at the very end of the recording. And the instrumentalists take full advantage of this freedom. In fact, not mentioning any of the musicians would be a gross injustice. Everyone deserves praise. There can be only one conclusion from this: in my opinion "Stardust Crystals" will be one of the most interesting titles of 2020.