Mavis Pan - Rising (2024)

Mavis Pan, piano/vocals/composer/co-producer; Ten Nash, co-producer/tenor saxophone/ flute/clarinet; Geoff Burke, alto & soprano saxophone/alto flute/clarinet; Mark Wade, bass; Jared Schonig, drums.

The opening tune, “Chances Are Odd” sounds very Middle Eastern. The horns open the piece with tight harmonics between the saxophones. Ted Nash and Geoff Burke individually step into the spotlight, offering their solos. Mavis Pan then enters on piano to take center stage, showing us her European classical piano style. The next tune is titled “Falling.” It reflects the same chamber music vernacular, as does the title tune. However, when “Pajaro Solitario” is played, I hear more of a jazz influence, tinged with Spanish overtones. Once again, lots of minor chords.

Mavis Pan was born in Taiwan and studied piano since age four. As a child, she was enrolled in a prestigious special music program where she received training in piano, voice, music theory and ear training. Later, her family would relocate to New Jersey where she continued her music study and performed with the high school big band and accompanied choir groups, winning “Best Accompanist” in 1996. She became choir director at Emanuel Presbyterian Church in New York for five years. In New York, she studied black music, and the importance and emphasis of the two-and-four beat. This was a plus, because African Americans created jazz. Pan premiered numerous new compositions performed by both choir and chamber orchestras. There is one important thing missing in her albums: the blues. In order to claim jazz musician credentials, you must be able to play the blues and to understand the premise of ‘swing.’

Her debut album was released in 2010. After this release, she spent a year in Shanghai, China teaching master classes in jazz piano.

However, on this new album release, I heard mostly classical music and chamber music, not that much jazz or blues. Blues is the root of jazz. The saxophone solos bring improvisation to the forefront. However, I didn’t hear that same jazz freedom during her piano solos until I heard “Tarab Suite III.” Clearly Mavis Pan is a competent composer, featuring orchestral, choral, chamber music, piano solo instrumentation, and on her second album featuring her vocals.

Pan has performed throughout the United States, in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, holding a B.M. in Jazz Piano Performance from New York University, an M.A. in Music from Columbia University, M.A. in Urban Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary and an M.M. in Music Composition from Brooklyn College.

Mavis Pan hopes her music will not only entertain but heal wounded hearts. “Formosa Spring” was one of my favorites, featuring Mark Wade on bass and beautiful flute solos. This is a soothing album of Chamber-sounding music with jazzy horn and flute solos. Ms. Pan’s compositions are very classically rooted, as is her emotional piano playing.~Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil