Five Voices Finding Common Ground
Melford's piano cuts through with precision while the ensemble breathes around it, never crowding the space.
By 2015, Myra Melford had already spent decades pushing the piano into territories most players avoid—angular, searching, unafraid to sound broken if the music demanded it. Snowy Egret (2015) is not a reinvention. It's a clarification. Working with Liberty Ellman on guitar, Ron Miles on cornet, Stomu Takeishi on bass guitar, and Tyshawn Sorey on percussion, Melford assembled a quintet built for conversation rather than display. The album moves with the deliberation of a group still learning its own voice, which is part of its strength.
What distinguishes this from her solo work or earlier ensembles is the restraint. The piano doesn't dominate; it listens. Melford's touch across these sessions ranges from terse, almost staccato interventions to passages of genuine lyricism, but she leaves room. Miles's cornet has a burnished, sometimes muted vulnerability that plays beautifully against Ellman's textural guitar work—neither instrument pushes for the foreground. Takeishi's bass guitar and Sorey's percussion anchor without weighing anything down, their interaction creating a rhythmic foundation that feels more like a conversation than a timekeeper.
The record was well-received among listeners who follow Melford's trajectory closely, though it never crossed into broader recognition. That's typical for her career at this stage—her work appeals to people who seek it out, not those browsing playlists. If you know her earlier records and want to hear her in a patient, ensemble-focused setting, this is essential. If you're new to Melford, start with her solo recordings first to understand what she can do alone before you meet her here, in conversation.
Who's playing
Stomu Takeishibass guitar
Myra Melfordpiano
Liberty Ellmanguitar
Ron Milescornet
Tyshawn Soreymembranophone
Where next?
More by Myra Melford
All 18 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
