Masako Ohta & Matthias Lindermayr - Nozomi Vinyl LP

180g vinyl LP in Nagoaka Style innersleeve. Features a 24 pages risograph printed publication and a print with works by Tokyo based photographer Daisuke Tomizawa created for the release.

Pianist Masako Ohta and trumpet player Matthias Lindermayr are back on Squama with Nozomi, the follow-up to their 2022 debut MMMMH (SQM 018CD). The Japanese title, which translates to "hope," felt fitting, as the album was conceived during a time of personal loss for Ohta, during and after which music proved itself as a beacon of hope. The music on Nozomi unfolds gently, with Lindermayr's airy tone and lyrical playing being wrapped in Ohta's chordal backing that moves from tender to tense and back over the course of the album. While most tunes were written by Lindermayr, the only exception being an interpretation of Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Hibari," the arrangements are largely improvised, letting the duo's intuition guide the course and build the form. Solemn slowness has become a signature trait of the Munich-based duo and it makes listening to their new record a healing retreat from the frantic chatter of the present. 180g vinyl LP. Includes a 24-page risograph printed publication and a print with works by Tokyo-based photographer Daisuke Tomizawa.