Dabin Ryu - Wall (2021)

Dabin Ryu’s debut album Wall features ten original compositions entirely composed, arranged, and produced by the pianist. The compositions settle within the jazz tradition, yet refuse the conventional instrumentations of a traditional jazz album. In this album, she captures the traces her life-long practice of music have left on her. Wall Pt. 1 and Wall Pt. 2 are written out entirely, abandoning the tradition of improvisation, exploring the intentionality and structure of a through-written composition. Temple Run, comparatively, falls squarely within the realm of hard bop jazz and showcases Ryu’s stylistic flexibility. While the compositions are diverse in terms of styles, they meld to communicate the strong characteristics of Ryu’s artistic vision.