Mashu Hayasaka - Piano Études

Mashu Hayasaka
Piano Études
All Night Flight
Japan/UK, 2024
LP

One of my absolute favorite releases of 2024, from the house label of my favorite record shop in the world—All Night Flight of Stockport, UK. Piano Études made an immediate entry into my personal canon of great piano records. And I do mean great piano records. The format is operative here, the gentle tape hiss & wobble adding an instant nostalgia factor, a snapshot bleached to sepia from the moment the shutter closes. Not to de-emphasize the music: Hayasaka’s compositions are gorgeous; his playing is poised, poignant, thoughtful, sometimes playful, never stuffy. There’s not a day you couldn’t play this record.

Please note: Most copies arrived with slightly dinged corners, in keeping with the well-loved, homemade aesthetic of this release.