By Jonathan Widran
Innovative jazz musicians and arrangers have enjoyed a long, fruitful history of reimagining popular songs with their own flair. On his latest release,
Class of ’88, Japanese-born, New York-based pianist-composer Senri Oe turns the concept of re-invention on himself, applying the expansive jazz artistry he’s cultivated in middle age to souvenirs of his earlier life as a massive, multiple award-winning J-Pop star of the ’80s and ’90s.
Eschewing the era-signifying pop production of the original vocal versions (sung in Oe’s native Japanese, of course), newly reimagined instrumental tunes such as the sweetly melodic, lightly funky “Apollo” and the intensely bustling, hard-grooving romp “Bamboo Bamboo” cast aside the overwrought drums, splashy guitars and cheesy synths. As appealing and successful as these tunes were back in the day — Oe racked up 45 hit singles and multiple gold albums — listeners will be forever grateful that the pianist decided to pursue his passion for Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans and evolve as a powerhouse jazz artist in his own right rather than spend his life on nostalgia tours.
Joyfully embracing the halcyon days of his past while pointing his creative expression forward, Oe complements reworked jaunts like the buoyant “Stella’s Cough” (featuring a wild drum solo by Ross Pederson), the elegant and lyrical solo piano track “My Glory Days” and the simmering, Latin-fired “I Wanna Live With You,” with excellent new compositions like the sensual samba “Lauro de Freitas” and the gentle, Monk-influenced solo ballad “Poetic Justice.”
https://open.spotify.com/album/5DBCpBQqeARPJrmzfDg23H?si=ihvnpBU0RXWvJhetQ0XFrA
