Art Hirahara - Verdant Valley (2022) [Hi-Res]

Pianist Art Hirahara unearths the heavenly landscapes of “Verdant Valley” on his eighth album for Posi-Tone Records. Searching for new realms of engaging expression, Hirahara perseveres steadily along on his personal journey of musical unfoldment. With a steady hand, Hirahara displays a clear sense of creative continuity, and succeeds in creating a bold impassioned statement with significant and meaningful contributions from his trusted collaborators: tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston. The program is eminently lyrical and clearly suggestive of a modern jazz sensibility, while the focus remains melodically straight forward with a steady flow of thoughtful interplay and hard swinging highlights. With an amazing combination of talents and an evocative program of brilliant performances, “Verdant Valley” is sure to bring bright moments of intense delight to serious listeners and jazz fans everywhere.