RIO's New Album

Early this morning I saw a posting on RIO's Facebook page with a link to a video of his original composition CO-CO-ME-RO.  Sleeply I clicked through and was immediately smitten! 

You know that feeling you get when you hear something once and know that you'll be listening for a long time?  I had that.

For me, the music has to be sufficiently complex, usually jazzy (although not always), and take me to places I've always felt I've wanted to go or to places that I've already been to.  That's what I felt the moment I started listening to CO-CO-ME-RO.  That's unusual for me.  

It's even more unusual that it would come from as young and novel a performer as RIO.  He's only something like 16 and yet he plays, performs, and composes like someone much older.  

OK, so I immediately purchased the album.  Not surprisingly I've been playing it all day.  It's a very uniform album- every tune has something that I want to hear.  Yet again, unusual.  On I ~Alone~ RIO plays with Aska Kaneko (violin) and Kojima (piano) to create a very Django-Grappelli vibe.  This is very good stuff... and Kaneko-san is a talented violinist.

Perhaps I'll review the album at some point, but first let me encourage you to go and purchase it.   See for yourself.  

​Feel free to post your comments and let me know what you think.