Ayumi Tanaka: Windflower (ECM 2859)

Ayumi TanakaWindflower Ayumi Tanaka pianoThomas Morgan double bassThomas Strønen drumsRecorded May 2025, Studios La BuissonneEngineer: Gérard de HaroMixed by Manfred Eicher and Michael Hinreiner (engineer)in Munich, 2026Cover photo: Nadia F. RomaniniProduced by Manfred EicherRelease date: August 21, 2026 The central tension on Windflower arises from our instinct to separate composition from improvisation, a distinction the music quietly renders distant. Japanese pianist Ayumi Tanaka is joined by American bassist Thomas Morgan, while Norwegian drummer Thomas Strønen completes a trio new in configuration yet deeply immersed in a shared exploratory language. Their pieces carry the poise of chamber music without surrendering jazz’s reflexive instincts. Each sound enters as a proposal whose meaning depends upon the answer it receives. Eight tracks were created spontaneously, while the bandleader’s “La Source” is opened like a book being read for the second time. The title track gathers…