Identity

I just had the opportunity to review the debut release, Identity, by Peter Lin AAPI Jazz Collective and it's quite good. Opening with "Emperor's Stride," featuring band leader and trombonist, Peter Lin (trombone), Erena Terakubo (sax) and Mike Bond (piano) on this Asian flavored opening, you get only a taste of what's to come. The track explodes with energy starting with Lin and Brandon Choi on trumpet laying down a melody, Daseul Kim on bass and Wen-Ting Wu on drums feeding the fire. Bond on piano takes the first solo and really winds it up. Terakubo on sax holds nothing back ripping a great solo and Lin shows a no prisoners attack on trombone really smoking the slide. Powerful opener. "A Town With An Ocean View" is an unexpected surprise with a beautiful melody played by Choi on piano, paired with Terakubo on flute. Bond takes the first solo and plays another lush solo that literally floats on air, guarded by a super bass line by Kim and Wu. Choi steps back up with another crisp, flowing trumpet solo over a dancing piano rhythm. Very nice. Wu opens with a splash on "Magpie's New Year's Day" fueling an aggressive solos by Terakubo, Bond and Wu. Super! "Tank!" is a driving track with Wu, Terakubo and Choi setting up the track. A real nice sax solo by Terakubo, followed by a beefy trombone solo by Lin, and a nicely constructed trumpet solo by Choi gives the track great traction. Bond falls in behind the brass delivering a lush solo of his own on piano circling back to a nicely interwoven fabric by the band, capped off by Wu on drums. Wrapping the release is ballad, "Beo Dat May Troi," sung by My Tam Huynh, swaddled in piano and brass. Very nice closer.