Connie Han takes a giant step

Connie Han’s new album is her best yet. The song writing and playing are both very strong, and the guests are most impressive.

Connie Han – Secrets of Innana (Mack Avenue, 2022)

I was impressed by Connie Han’s previous album Iron Starlet which displayed her great piano playing and compositions. Her new album is another major step forward. In fact, it is so good that I have listened to it repeatedly for days by now reveling in its lyricism and interplay.

One of the reasons the album is so great is the presence of bassist John Patitucci who locks in beautifully on a piece like Crystal Silence by Chick Corea who Patitucci often played with and had the same kind of interplay with. Han both leaves space for Patitucci to shine and engage in dialogue with him. It is hard not to hear the influence of Corea on Han in her lyricism as well as in her rhythmic attack on her own pieces like Ereshkigal of the Underworld and Gilgamesh and the Celestial Bull whose unusual titles refers to a theme of mythology on the album.

Like Corea or Herbie Hancock, Han also switches between acoustic piano and electric keyboard, but the acoustic piano is her main instrument on this recording. Like on her Vesica Piscis which is played as a duo with veteran saxophonist Rich Perry who gives it a lot of emotional playing while Han takes care of everything else. It really is on the same level as some classic piano and saxophone duos and have me longing for more of the same.

A great album

Han, Perry, Patitucci and drummer and producer Bill Wysaske also makes a fine quartet on the majestic jazz waltz Wind Rose Goddess. While Han shows her more fiery technique on the trio track The Gallu Pursuit. When Perry returns for the similarly burning Dumuzi of Uruk he shows his ability to play in that angular style of Joe Henderson while still remaining a beautiful  sound.

Another featured musician is alto and piccolo flautist Katisse Buckingham who plays both on the opening and closing track of the album. The writing for flute also reminds of how Corea and Hancock included that instrument in their ensembles in the 1960s and 1970s.

Despite the album having variations in instrumentation, a theme about mythology, and seemingly paying tribute to the late Chick Corea, it above all has that characteristic which all great albums have: a vision which brings all disparate elements together, and I think that is the playing and composing of Han. I liked her previous album but was frankly not prepared for this one to have evolved so much. It really is great.