Label: Endectomorph Music, 2025

Personnel - Yuhan Su: vibraphone; Anna Webber; tenor saxophone, flute; Alex LoRe: alto saxophone, flute; Matt Mitchell: piano; Yingda Chen: guitar; Marty Kenney: bass; James Paul Nadien: drums; Shinya Lin: electronics.

New York–based Taiwanese vibraphonist and composer Yuhan Su fronts a superb octet of outstanding musicians and improvisers on her new outing, OVER the MOONs, a collection of eight original compositions that probe the boundless potential of collective and individual creativity. Bristling with virtuosity yet marked by graceful elegance, the album finds Su expanding her sonic palette through effect pedals, modernizing the vibraphone’s voice and channeling a style of jazz—angular melodies, kaleidoscopic harmonies, and free improvisation at its core—that feels fully alive and thriving.

“Pieces Piece” throws the instruments into a puzzling collage of fragments and motifs, a droning, dancing swirl that is both playful and acutely constructed. The swift, tightly coordinated vibraphone-and-keyboard runs land squarely on the chest, propelled by the energizing rhythmic engine of Marty Kenny’s bass and James Paul Nadine’s drums. Pianist Matt Mitchell unleashes a torrent of ideas in an expansive solo, followed by tenor saxophonist Anna Webber, who darts in and out of a more rock-tinged foundation. “Tomorrow”, with its gradually accelerating theme and featuring superb electronic work by Shinya Lin, explores avant-garde terrain with agile rhythmic mutations. Webber soloes fearlessly, opening the door to a collective exploration with protuberant guitar adornments by Yingda Chen in the background, and Su’s impulsively chromatic vibes driving the flow.

Tension is part of the appeal here, but so is mystery. “Two Moons” materializes as a recondite chimera, its delay-coated vibraphone intro softened by flutes from Webber and Alex LoRe, along with Chen’s ethereal guitar tendrils. Contemplative yet exploratory, the piece reflects Su’s lived navigation between cultures and languages. The ecstatic, distorted vibraphone effects on “Roaring Houses” evoke Wyoming’s powerful winter storms—conditions she experienced while writing much of the album during a 2024 residency. The rhythm section shines in punchy, knotty counterpoint, while the soloists—Mitchell, Chen, and Su—steer through meter shifts and rhythmic entanglements with precision and verve.

Playful and staccato-driven, “Genius and Dumb” incorporates Su’s Mandarin words processed electronically, producing a groovy machine-like energy enhanced by sharp digital manipulation and a vibrant tenor solo bursting with color and possibility. The album closes quietly with “Too Much Time Marching Clouds”, an impressionistic, near-edenic reverie featuring haunting guitar textures and absorbing saxophone exchanges.

Whether whispering or erupting, Su’s music remains consistently engrossing. She stands here as a truly inspired artist with a bright future ahead.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Pieces Piece ► 02 - Tomorrow ► 04 - Roaring Houses ► 06 - Genius and Dumb

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2023

Personnel - Yuhan Su: vibraphone; Caroline Davis: alto saxophone; Matt Mitchell: piano; Marty Kenney: bass; Dan Weiss: drums.

Yuhan Su, an emerging and classically-trained vibraphonist and composer hailing from Taiwan and currently based in New York, is known for pushing the boundaries of her art. In her fourth album, Liberated Gesture, she presents 10 original compositions inspired by personal experiences and the work of German-French artist Hans Hartung. Su collaborates with seasoned improvisers, including saxophonist Caroline Davis, keyboardist Matt Mitchell, and drummer Dan Weiss. Rounding out the fabulous quintet is bassist Marty Kenney, a member of Brian Krock’s Big Heart Machine and Steve Slagle Trio.

The track "Hi-Tech Pros and Cons" delves into Su's negative experience with iPhones, featuring a wild unison phrase announcing the propulsive force of a rhythm that advances with precise movements without ever feel stiff or mechanical. The staccato accompaniment creates a stark counterpoint, inspiring expressive solos from Davis, consistently elucidative in her ideas, and Su, who boasts a striking, definitive sound with exquisite note choices.

There’s an impressive consistency of lyrical melody over rich harmony, and that’s valid even when challenging tempos and unstoppable energy are on display. Such is the case of “Character”, a post-bop meets modern creative funk fusion that is among the standouts. “Didion”, dedicated to American writer Joan Didion, sounds a great deal freer as piano turbulence falls atop the groovy septuplet drumming of Weiss, who kills it on the kit all the way through. This disarming composition balances delicacy and wildness within a fluid, if tense, stream, with Mitchell's infectious piano work contributing to a dreamy atmosphere.

"Siren Days" draws inspiration from siren sounds during the first pandemic lockdown in New York, displaying an intuitive affinity for attractive revolving patterns. The catchy ostinato at the base motivates this energetic pulsation taken further on “Liberated Gesture III: Tightrope Walk“ via audaciously metered passages showcasing driving bass and drums in a beautiful lock. All compositions provide both challenges and opportunities for the soloists and the closer, “Hassan’s Fashion Magazine”, inspired by Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj’s work, conjures something super fun - half-funk, half-swing - with an earnest call-and-response between Su and Mitchell.

The album also includes introspective pieces like “Naked Swimmer”, inspired by memories of a jump into an icy cold lake in Taiwan and featuring a bass solo, and “Liberated Gesture II: Arc”, where Su’s finely honed vibraphone work takes center stage.

Using the superlative talents of her peers to good advantage, Su commands this quintet with brilliancy, interspersing unflinching composed parts and free-spirited interplay in a bold yet accessible session that deserves recognition.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Hi-Tech Pros and Cons ► 02 - Character ► 06 - Siren Days