Senri Oe - Class Of 88 (CD)

Release Date: 09/08/23

Japanese Mega J-Pop Star Turned Jazz Pianist Senri Oe Merges His Superstar Past with Jazz Pianist Present on New Trio Album, Class of '88

Japanese Mega J-Pop Star Turned Jazz Pianist Senri Oe Merges His Superstar Past with Jazz Pianist Present on New Trio Album.

Reimagined Hits from '80s and '90s Debut Alongside New Jazz Originals Performed with Bassist Matt Clohesy and Drummer Ross Pederson

While his name may be unfamiliar to American audiences, it's hard to overstate how famous Senri Oe became in his home country during the '80s and '90s. Picture a J-pop Justin Timberlake playing to stadiums and arenas that the Beatles once performed in. Then leaving it all all behind at age 47 and moving to NYC in 2008 to study jazz piano at the New School of Contemporary Music shedding in practice rooms alongside his 20 year-old classmates for days on end. He was anonymous and dedicated, heeding the call to reconnect with his teenage love of Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk.

With 7 jazz albums to his name since his 2012 re-debut Boys Mature Slow, on his latest album, Class of '88, Oe comes full circle with a piano trio album revisiting several of his classic pop hits, featuring bassist Matt Clohesy (Darcy James Argue, Seamus Blake) and drummer Ross Pederson (Manhattan Transfer, Grace Kelly). The album is at once a surprising look back and a brilliant look at how far the pop star-turned-piano virtuoso has come and opens the door for the millions of fans who adored him as a pop singer and songwriter to share his passion for jazz through these reimaginings and new compositions that, like his pop hits. have strong, memorable melodies.

Class of '88 features three new tunes alongside Oe's reimagined classics: the Monk-influenced ballad 'Poetic Justice,' the alluring Brazilian fantasy 'Lauro De Freitas,' and the wistful 'Class Notes,' a beautiful solo piece that serves as the album's nostalgic theme song. While Oe praises Monk as his favorite composer, the gorgeous lyricism in his playing reflects his supreme influence, Bill Evans.

Pursuing his true passion he moved to NYC to study jazz in 2007.

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