MZM
Three of the most innovative instrumentalists at work today, blending harp, piano, and koto with electronic sounds--the new trio of Myra Melford, Zeena Parkins, and Miya Masaoka is called MZM. Each made an indelible mark in the last three to four decades of experimental music, and their improvisations blend together all of the various histories that evolved from their disparate activities. From sound-art to noise rock to modern jazz, each are known both for their extensive output as leaders and their their work with a who's who of adventurous music: Bjork, Nels Cline, Steve Coleman, Dave Douglas, Mark Dresser, Fred Frith, Joseph Jarman, George Lewis, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Pauline Oliveros, Yoko Ono, Henry Threadgill, Tin Hat, Christian Wolff, and many others.
Miya Masaoka — 12-string Koto
Myra Melford — Acoustic and Prepared Piano
Zeena Parkins — Electric Harp, Electronics
“Berkeley pianist/composer Myra Melford writes music that bristles with possibilities, suggesting blues cries and celestial chimes, ecstatic prayers and whispered confidences. Surrounding herself with some of jazz’s most exquisite instrumental voices... she lets Snowy Egret swoop and soar on the group’s second album, using the compositions as maps for impromptu journeys into unpredictably shapeshifting realms.”
| — | Best Albums of 2018, The San Jose Mercury News |