Evergreen

The first notes of Iida's "Gooey Butter Cake" creates a joyous feeling which permeates his album, "Evergreen". Part of that feel is created by Iida's expressive and forward leaning composition style. The trumpeter and producer contributed six of the ten songs on "Evergreen". Another element which raises the bar is Iida's role as band leader and producer. Working with co-producer Josh Nelson, Iida incorporated wonderful covers such as the Sonny Rollins/Elmo Hope composition "Bellarosa". The song "Akatombo" written by Kosaku Yamado also ads a touch of flair with vocals by band member, Audrey Johnson. Iida's band, which includes Masami Kuroki on guitar, Xavier LeCoutiuier on drums, Jonathan Richard's on bass and Josh Nelson on electric and acoustic piano, provide a nuanced and sympathy to these songs indicative of their long standing relationship with their band leader.

Iida is able to bring in elements of his upbringing, along with touches of classical, and even hip-hop rhythms. As a result songs such as the title track "Evergreen" and "Shiki No Uta" are uniquely contemporary yet forward leaning. Iida's solos are elegant and engrossing while the band is giving moments to shine to make the entire album a treat. "Forgotten Memories" with its tricky time signatures, tasty guitar breaks and evocative trumpet parts may well be my favorite song on the album. However, the title track, "Evergreen" and the J-Pop gem, "Shiki No Uta" are also stand outs.