New York-based Japanese keyboardist Ken Aihara has sublimated the Jazz-Fusion style into a new genre. Ken Aihara’s new album Multiverse is a Various colour of odd meter, Ingenious Harmony and Improvisation that can be said to be cosmic space.
Multiverse introduces Aihara’s talent as a keyboardist and features Snarky Puppy’s Bob Lanzetti, bassist Evan Marien (who played with Allan Holdsworth) and drummer Marko Djordjevic (who played with Matt Garrison).
This Album inspired by role-playing games and the songs progresses so that the world of various dimensions is connected to one story.
The album starts, though with “Ice Mountain” is surrounding us with mysterious synth snow to cover the groovy bass and punchy drums in 11/8 beats.
Bob Lanzetti sets off for a synth guitar expedition full of mystery, and Bob’s guitar solo goes through the snowstorm and goes to the next song.
In “Whales,” Ken’s piano has an intense emotional sound.
5/8 meters song of “Spatio-Temporal Wanderer” that expresses the space between time and space, Bob and Ken’s solos represent the past and the future, and Evan’s bass solo drifts through space and time and takes them to the next world.
Drummer Marko presents high skill techniques and song comprehension on “Ridge Black.” His drums make Ken’s piano even more brilliant.
Bassist Evan Marien said after the session “Ken Aihara is one of the finest synth soloists I’ve played with, and his compositions have incredible depth”, while guitarist Bob Lanzetti said “What composer and pianist/keyboardist Ken Aihara has accomplished on his debut record Multiverse is a perfect marriage of chops and rhythmic and harmonic complexity with tuneful, singable, often pretty songs. Besides, his use of keyboards and synths is thoughtful and always done to serve the music first”.
Not to mention that all the members are wonderful, Ken’s composition skill and his ingenious sound and play are just what they call the New Generation Keyboardist.
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