A lyrical pianist from Japan who moved to the United States to attend Berklee,
Yoko Miwa has a thoughtful, melodic, and quietly creative style. One can compare her approach and sound to a variety of modern mainstream players, but she has her own chord voicings and style. With a few exceptions, the majority of the selections on
Canopy of Stars (all originals by the pianist) is taken at a medium-slow pace but they never get sleepy due to the high musicianship and
Miwa's subtle ideas. "Tango Soledad" is a happy surprise and
Miwa sounds wonderful on her solo feature "The Silver Screen." Bronislaw Suchanek plays bass in
Massimo Biolcati's place on two numbers but, despite some excellent interplay between the musicians and a few bass solos,
Miwa is the obvious star throughout. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow