Jihee Heo - Are You Ready - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Void Paradigm have been wandering the French underground for several years now, with members coming from different experiences and bands (Sordide, Ataraxie and Bethlehem, among others). Debuting with a self-titled album in 2012, to which a sophomore record named Earth's Disease followed in 2015, they lurked in the shadows of Normandy for the following five years.

Now almost 15 years into her New York City life, South Korean pianist & composer Jihee Heo has thrived during her deep journey into the city's towering jazz piano legacy. Her studies in Amsterdam and at the Manhattan School of Music blended experimental jazz with classical and bop, but the rich connection she discovered with drummer Joe Farnsworth and bassist Alex Claffy several years ago awakened sounds she's had stored away since she first encountered jazz. Now a steady presence in New York's clubs, this trio's journey is documented on InchFlow,Inch which was, appropriately enough, recorded by Maureen Sickler at Rudy Van Gelder's famed studio in Englewood, NJ. Joining the trio for two tunes is the alto titan, Vincent Herring. InchPianist Jihee Heo has a beautiful legato touch that builds on sturdy lyricism and lustrous harmonies, but her work also is filled with delicate, detailed figures.Inch -Downbeat. InchFluid single note runs join colorful chordal voicings, as Heo establishes where this unit fits into the great tradition of the jazz trio.Inch - All About Jazz

On GET READY, HI-FLY ORCHESTRA channels keen storytelling into layered arrangements, weaving forward momentum with low-end warmth. Rhythm-forward, jazz-funk colors with modern Polish. The result is a vivid, lived-in world of sound-music that rewards close listening with anthemic choruses and room-filling lift. An essential pick for those who value craftsmanship.