Masako Ohta, Matthias Lindermayr - Nozomi (180g Vinyl LP) PRE-ORDER

Pianist Masako Ohta and trumpet player Machias Lindermayr are back on Squama with 'Nozomi', the follow-up to their 2022 debut 'MMMMH'. The Japanese title, which translates to ‘hope’, felt fitting, as the album was conceived during a time of personal loss for Ohta, during and after which music proved itself as a beacon of hope. The music on Nozomi unfolds gently, with Lindermayr’s airy tone and lyrical playing being wrapped in Ohta’s chordal backing that moves from tender to tense and back over the course of the album. While most tunes were written by Lindermayr, the only exception being an interpretation of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Hibari’, the arrangements are largely improvised, letting the duo’s intuition guide the course and build the form. Solemn slowness has become a signature trait of the Munich-based duo and it makes listening to their new record a healing retreat from the frantic chatter of the present.

A1) Hatsuhinode 06:55 min A2) Agora 02:39 min A3) Ostinato 03:57 min A4) Hibari 04:59 min B1) Maya 06:55 min B2) Shizuku 04:40 min B3) Niwa 04:07 min B4) Tio 08:04 min