Debut albums are a delicate balancing act. This eight-track introduction to South Korean pianist Ellie Lee strikes a successful and steady equilibrium. Classical influences rise without dominating. Listeners get surprises but no chaos. And warmth and positivity never tumble into mawkish melodrama. It’s a first effort marked by self-awareness and control. That’s the strength and weakness of Escape.
Lee embraced contemporary jazz after completing a bachelor’s degree in classical piano, then relocated to the US for further studies. With mortarboards bursting from her wardrobe, she has now put together seven originals and one standard for this release. Steve Wilson carries most melodies on saxophone, with Steve LaSpina on bass and Jongkuk Kim on drumming duty.
The title track establishes the album’s key characteristics. Lee punches out chords while the saxophone delivers smoke-in-the-breeze curlicues. There’s easy momentum throughout the piece and especially in the piano solo, which rushes up and down the contours of Lee’s harmonic landscape.
It’s a neat-and-tidy record but a couple of messier moments pop up too. A one-minute passage of collective noodling rounds off Lee’s arrangement of Whisper Not by Benny Golson. Walking bass leads a breakout of blues behind the solos on New Chapter. These less inhibited sections reveal a more playful side of Lee and her bandmates that enriches the album’s cautiously upbeat mood.
Ellie Lee’s natural gifts and formal training combine to give her a measured, deliberate style where every note adds value to the overall work. Escape never sags, drags or fails to provide an enjoyable listening experience. It’s an impressively solid debut. That’s the strength and weakness of the album.
Discography
Escape; Beyond The Blue; A Fine Day; Melrose Breeze; Whisper Not; Toss And Turn; On The Road; New Chapter (47.13)
Steve Wilson (ss, as); Ellie Lee (p); Steve LaSpina (b); Jongkuk Kim (d). New Jersey, USA, 2024.
SNMC0094