PAPATAMUS REDUX

CELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED AUGUST 14, 2026)

The kimono Miki Yamanaka wears on the cover of Breathe is not a traditional design. Instead, it combines contemporary fashion with Japanese-inspired motifs. The same could be said of Yamanaka’s music. Rooted firmly in the jazz tradition, Breathe draws on hard bop, soul jazz and post-bop while approaching those traditions with a distinctly contemporary sensibility. For Breathe, Yamanaka expands her trio of bassist Tyrone Allen II and drummer Jimmy Macbride with the expressive sound of saxophonist Nicole Glover.. The bouncy, shifting rhythms of “Indigo,” with its modern aesthetic, provide strong showcases for Glover, Yamanaka and Macbride. On the contrafact “Wolfe,” named for bassist Ben Wolfe, Glover’s husky tenor sound and Yamanaka’s angular, percussive comping evoke the spirit of Thelonious Monk’s classic quartet with Charlie Rouse. Glover switches to soprano for “James Williams,” a bright and lively jazz waltz. Everyone in the quartet settles comfortably into the soul-jazz groove of “Dancing Cats,” the only composition on the recording not written by Yamanaka. The tune comes from organist Akiko Tsuruga, who, as Yamanaka explains, was always encouraging her “to do my thing.” Another important source of encouragement was Yamanaka’s father, who died in 2025. He reminded his daughter that “we all need to slow down sometimes to take a breath and breathe.” Written for him, “Breathe” is the album’s emotional centerpiece. Glover’s breathy tone luxuriates over each note while Yamanaka provides a tender harmonic underscoring to the melody. The intricate rhythmic and harmonic changes of “Tucson” and “Pre School” demonstrate Yamanaka’s abilities as a composer, while the trio performance of “Dandelion Puff,” a tune she wrote in 2012, offers a refreshing change of texture. “Delayed Flight,” complete with whistling and the recorded voice of an airport gate agent, is a playful romp through the experience of a delayed flight. It provides an amusing diversion, although musically it adds less to the album than the other compositions. Much like did on her two previous recordings (Shades of Rainbow in 2024 and Chance in 2024), Allen and Macbride add energy to Yamanaka’s compositions and playing. Like the kimono on its cover, Breathe is colorful and contemporary while maintaining a deep respect for tradition.

BOTTOM LINE: The combination of a kimono with sunglasses on the cover says it all.
The music of Breathe blends a sense of tradition with modernity. Yamanaka and her quartet, featuring saxophonist Nicole Glover, navigate their way through eight originals and a tune by organist Akiki Tsuruga in a recording that shows respect for the past while looking toward the future of contemporary jazz.