Water

Stem

digital release Wed, May 17, 2023

on Asian Improv Records

Saxophonist and composer Hitomi Oba’s Water Stem focuses on gesture, motion and texture, featuring relationships with cherished collaborators. In counterpoint to her regular engagement with largely precomposed music, Water Stem is an uninhibited and joyful exploration of her unique improvisatory voice. Oba’s Water Stem includes duets with formative mentors Jon Jang and Roberto Miranda along with pieces composed for her quartet of Neelamjit Dhillon, Jake Leckie, and Shawn Baltazor.

Hitomi Oba – Tenor Saxophone (all tracks)

Jon Jang – Piano (2, 8, 11-13)

Roberto Miranda – Bass (3, 10)

Neelamjit Dhillon – Tabla (1), Alto Saxophone (5-7, 9, 14)

Jake Leckie – Bass (1, 4-7, 9, 14)

Shawn Baltazor – Drums (1, 4-7, 9, 14)

1. Mizukuki (9:51)

2. Come Sunday (5:30)

3. Kagayaku Ima (6:02)

4. Impromptu Suite: Part 1 (2:54)

5. Impromptu Suite: Part 2 (1:42)

6. Impromptu Suite: Part 3 (2:13)

7. Impromptu Suite: Part 4 (2:58)

8. And We’ll Say It Again (5:18)

9. Power to the People: Murmuration and Flight (4:28)

10. A Welcoming Space (4:44)

11. The Grass Is in Full Bloom (3:39)

12. Butterfly Lovers Song (4:25)

13. Just Clouds Passing By (5:23)

14. Water Seeds (5:40)

Tracks 1, 3, and 9 composed by Hitomi Oba

Track 2 composed by Duke Ellington

Tracks 4-7 and 14, composed by Hitomi Oba, Neelamjit Dhillon, Jake Leckie, and Shawn Baltazor

Tracks 8, 11, and 13 composed by Hitomi Oba and Jon Jang

Track 10 composed by Hitomi Oba and Roberto Miranda

Track 12 composed by Chen Gang and He Zhan Hao

Executive Producer: Tatsu Aoki

Producers: Hitomi Oba and Nick DePinna

Project Management: Rika Lin

Engineers: by Stuart Schenk (1, 4-7, 9, and 14), Isabel Parrott (3 and 10), Eric Glauser (2, 8, and 11-13)

Mixing and Mastering: David Darlington

Recorded June-August 2022 at the Evelyn and Mo Ostin Recording Studio at UCLA and Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco 

Album Artwork: Hitomi Oba

Photography: Erich Chen

Album Design: Al Brandtner, Brandtner Design

Special Thanks: UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Masanori and Hisako Oba, James Newton Jr., Francis Wong, and Vinay Patel.