Philipp Dulichius : 18 Motets

Piano International (Jul, 2012)
An ECM debut from Masabumi Kikuchi with long-time musical partner, drummer Paul Motian, who died last year. Given his credits, it is strange that I had not encountered the pianist’s work before. Born 1939 in Tokyo, Kikuchi moved to the US in 1970, and in the following decade worked with Elvin Jones and Gil Evans while leading his own acoustic and electric groups. He formed Tethered Moon with Paul Motian and Gary Peacock in 1991, which recorded several CDs including Chansons d’Édith Piaf and Play Kurt Weill.

Sunrise is an extended essay in the free rubato ballad, an approach to jazz piano that seems to fit seamlessly with the ECM ethos. …