Jazz Guy Pick (www.voiceofvashon.org)
Bill Wood | 10/28/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Tethered Moon" is the rather unfortunate name that bassist Dave Holland, drummer Paul Motian and pianist Masabumi Kikuchi have chosen for their trio. Entirely fortunate, however, is their choice of material. Many of Piaf's songs would appear to be somewhat resistant to the jazz treatment, but this is an absolutely gorgeous album and there are no real missteps here. The music easily rates all five stars, but, unhappily, Kikuchi has developed the habit, shared by Keith Jarrett and Oscar Peterson,among others, of inappropriately (or perhaps involuntarily) vocalising along with the music with a variety of grunts and whines and squeals, none of them pleasant, which are all, however, dutifully recorded and included on the soundtrack as if they were somehow an enhancement. They are not. Without these untoward vocal intrusions this would be an absolutely exquisite trio - dumb name and all."