Taken Shadows by Animul Records ANI 108

Since her arrival in New York at the end of the ‘90s, pianist Shoko Nagai has appeared in numerous
contexts. Of particular note is her superb improvisational duo Vortex, with percussionist Satoshi Takeishi. Her newest project, Taken Shadows, was premiered live at Roulette and it is the recording of that performance that appears here on CD.
The group includes guitarist Jonathan Goldberger, drummer Jim Black, electric bassist Stomu Takeishi and violinist Todd Reynolds. Nagai has assembled a great band that supports her work as both a pianist/ synthesizer player and as a composer. Not only do these players each bring a huge breadth of experience and technical ability to the table, they also gel musically as an ensemble in a deeply compelling way.
The album breaks the continuous performance into three tracks, demarcating transitions into new written sections. The music begins in a relatively calm statement of some melodic material, but quickly spirals into a robust mess of electronic sounds and careening rhythms. Things build and recede, each time organically entering into new beautiful textures. As the music builds again towards the second track, “Solid Angle”, some spirited free playing between Takeishi and Nagai (on piano at that moment) gradually settles into a groove—facilitated not by the entrance of the drums, but rather violin. It’s always nice when instruments are able to function in different roles and it makes the entrance of the drums at the top of “Solid Angle” all the more meaningful, freeing up Reynolds to lay out some beautiful soaring melismatic phrases. Goldberger then brings a blazing guitar solo, which again leads into some beautiful airy, open textures about five minutes in. Some of the most abstract free improvising is saved for the lead-in to the final track and the top of “LUCY” builds to the final melodic ideas—a ripping unison lick that jumps out and then hides again, revealing a piano cadenza, and then comes soaring back for the finale. Reviewed by Bruce Galander ( Downtown music Gallery NY)

SHOKO NAGAI (Composer/ Pianist/ Accordionist/ Improviser)
Born in Nagoya, Japan, Shoko Nagai graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1999 she moved to New York City and quickly established herself in various scenes performing with such renowned artists as John Zorn, Butch Morris, Frank London, Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto), Satoshi Takeishi, Erik Friedlander, Elliot Sharp to name a few.

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