Sumi Tonooka - Long Ago Today (2004)

Pianist, composer and educator Sumi Tonooka re-ignites her successes as an architect at the keyboard with her fifth and latest release, ‘Long Ago Today’. It's her first recording in a decade as a leader, and her remarkable musical growth is showcased on nine originals and one standard. Joining her are long-time musical partner Rufus Reid on bass and the late drummer Bob Braye. The resurgence of her creative grace and candor is felt in Cole Porter's "All of You," a familiar favorite "that keeps on evolving," says Tonooka. Her trio becomes a wild force of nature on "The Clinging," a tune inspired by the I Ching, considered an oracle of natural events and occurrences. The creation of the iridescent "Dreaming of Tibet" was guided by a vision Tonooka had of herself walking about the country called "the roof of the world." This tune is an invitation to see what she saw. The contrasting faces of "Be The Dance," a sketchpad of the trio's playful prowess and the title tune, a musing over "longing and nostalgia," speak of the many-sided approaches Tonooka takes, as one journalist notes, to bridge "between the spirit of the world and her own soul." What propels her playing, as noted by writer Herb Boyd, is her “unique way to constantly renew the rhythm." Representative of that is "Moroccan Daze," packed with flurried mechanized and free-flowing passages. Though we hear a focus of rhythm on Long Ago Today, in no way does this enervate her compositions. They're identifiers for Tonooka and take their place between your ears, plugging you into her and not into her re-soling of standards. ‘Long Ago Today’ resounds with newly emerging energies and ideas. "It's my strongest work," declares Tonooka. Journalist Russ Musto restates his praise of Tonooka from thirty years ago in the liner notes to Long Ago Today: ". . . it has been a pleasure to hear her blossom into one of the most talented musicians of her generation." ~ by Nestor Minsk, JazzNews. 

Artist Recording Collective, CRA 2116, 2008
Recorded 19th to 23rd October, 2004 at John Hodian‘s Studio, Woodstock, New York 

Musicians:
Sumi Tonooka - Piano
Rufus Reid - Bass
Bob Braye - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Be The Dance {Sumi Tonooka} (4:38)
02. All Of You {Cole Porter} (7:33)
03. The Clinging {Sumi Tonooka} (4:11)
04. Dreaming Of Tibet {Sumi Tonooka} (4:21)
05. Quantum Question {Sumi Tonooka} (5:37)
06. Long Ago Today {Sumi Tonooka} (9:57)
07. Renewal {Sumi Tonooka} (4:52)
08. Moroccan Daze {Sumi Tonooka} (5:34)
09. Just For Now {Sumi Tonooka} (6:04)
10. Nami's Song {Sumi Tonooka} (8:32) 

Total Time: 61:19

Credits:
Producer - Sumi Tonooka
Recording - Bob Bileicki
Liner Notes - Russ Musto 

Long Ago Today

Erica Lindsay, Sumi Tonooka - Initiation (2004)

Recorded back in 2004, this is a brand-new release on the cusp of becoming a welcome rediscovery. A quartet jazz session featuring compositions by tenor saxophonist/Bard College professor Erica Lindsay and pianist Sumi Tonooka along with an absolutely killer rhythm section of Rufus Reid on bass and Bob Braye on drums, most of this dexterously walks the line between purism and accessibility. Lindsay plays with a confident, smoky tone and a keen sense of melody; likewise, Tonooka’s style is comfortably bluesy and assured. Reid is his usual fluid, smartly melodic self and Braye - who sadly did not live to see this album released – turns in a powerful, memorable performance. If this was his swan song, he picked a hell of a note to go out on, whether getting the cymbals shimmering on a turnaround or elevating the third track above the level of So What homage with an aggressive, full-scale, Elvin Jones-style charge. The opening track, Mari is a catchy, hook-based swing number; Lindsay evokes Joe Henderson with her casually tuneful, wee hours vibe reasserted by Sunooka and then Reid, cleverly foreshadowing Lindsay’s return from the bar. Mingus Mood, a thoughtful ballad, is less Mingus than Grover Washington Jr. (don’t laugh!!!) in purist mode, i.e., circa All My Tomorrows, almost minimalist as Lindsay and then Reid carries the tune over Tonooka’s tersely precise chords. The title track playful shifts from tricky, winking intro to a casual Lindsay solo that she builds smartly and casually around a series of rapid-fire clusters; Tonooka deftly works her solo rhythmically with Latin flourishes. The somewhat hypnotic Serpent’s Tail plays an understated rhumba rhythm off a repetitive Reid riff that both sax and piano use as a springboard for expansively tasteful excursions. The late 50s riff-driven swing vibe returns pleasantly with In the Void, followed by the ballad Somewhere Near Heaven which powerfully contrasts brooding, sometimes ominous, Bill Mays-ish piano with pensively optimistic sax. Black Urgency shuffles with a tunefulness and sense of direction worthy of JD Allen and features Braye at his most counterintuitive and incisive. The album closes with arguably its strongest (and most rhythmically challenging) number, simply titled Yes, Lindsay and then Tonooka at their most forceful and memorable, whether pulsing on the beat or swirling with rivulets of glissandos. There’s a lot to enjoy here, more than an hour’s worth of tunes. ~ LucidCulture. 

Artists Recording Collective, ARC2000, 2009
Recorded 19th-23rd October, 2004 At John Hodians Studio, Woodstock, New York 

Musicians:
Erica Lindsay - Tenor Saxophone
Sumi Tonooka - Piano
Rufus Reid - Bass
Bob Braye - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Mari {Erica Lindsay} (5:26)
02. Mingus Mood {Sumi Tonooka} (7:50)
03. South Street {Sumi Tonooka} (7:41)
04. Initiation {Sumi Tonooka} (5:37)
05. Serpent's Tale {Erica Lindsay} (8:16)
06. In The Void {Sumi Tonooka} (8:34)
07. Somewhere Near Heaven {Erica Lindsay} (5:39)
08. Black Urgency {Erica Lindsay} (6:19)
09. The Gift {Sumi Tonooka} (8:17)
10. Yes {Erica Lindsay} (6:06) 

Total Time: 69:45

Credits:
Producer, Mixing & Mastering - Erica Lindsay
Producer - Sumi Tonooka
Recording Engineer - Bob Beleicki
Design, Photography - Paul Tsang

Erica Lindsay Quartet - Yes- Live At The Rosendale Café (2001)

Recorded live at our very own Rosendale Café, the Erica Lindsay Quartet checks in with a superb new release, "Yes." Lindsay (saxophone) along with Francesca Tanksley on piano, Otto Gardner bass and Bob Braye drums, explodes with the title track her Coltrane influences every-where. The dark "Dusk-Fall" has a sneaky, slinky almost espionage feel. "Gently" also has dark alley implications, while "Blues Up" simplifies things to three chords, without being simple. The prolonged excursion of "Gotta Get To It" is a highlight, as Lindsay searches and reaches for that special place. "Seriously" is hopeful and optimistic and everyone excels here. An inventive, emotional player with technique to die for, Lindsay and her quartet prove once again, live music is where the magic hap-pens. ~ David Malachowski, DailyFreeman.com.

Artists Recording Collective, ARC-2215, 2008
Recorded 29^th September, 2001 Live At The Rosendale Café, Rosendale, NY 

Musicians:
Erica Lindsay - Tenor Saxophone, Arranger
Francesca Tanksley - Piano
Otto Gardner - Bass
Bob Braye - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Yes {Erica Lindsay} (9:09)
2. Dusk/Fall {Mikhail Horowitz/Erica Lindsay} (9:36)
3. Dance Of The Elves {Erica Lindsay} (9:16)
4. Gently {Erica Lindsay} (6:45)
5. Blues Up {Erica Lindsay} (7:59)
6. Gotta Get To It {Erica Lindsay} (11:06)
7. Night Of Roses {Erica Lindsay} (6:52)
8. Seriously {Erica Lindsay} (8:51) 

Total Time: 69:36

Note:
Applause including crowd noises carefully removed for better listening.