'Collector' by Ramiro Zayas

'Collector' marks the latest release from Argentine pianist and composer Ramiro Zayas whose imaginative new effort proves a definitive and compelling piece of work.

Finding its home on the US label, ears&eyes Records, Zayas' third full-length project perfectly slots into the Chicago-based label's vast and all-encompassing affections for music ranging from contemporary jazz releases that elegantly sit alongside projects under the soul, folk and classical umbrellas.

For Zayas, this free-thinking and unhindered take on modern jazz and music affords the artist a playground that encourages his quest for exploration within his music.  Through each of Zayas' releases to date, the end-results have adeptly straddled the thin space between composition and improvisation with music that relishes its own evolution.  It's an evolution honed through the repetition of performance, collaboration and simply through the reflective passage of time.  There's an impact that a piece of art can leave on you that evolves one's own thinking over time.  Something a person reads at 15 might feel completely different at 50 which provides a profound way of thinking about the art that we consume around us and revisit over the years.

Born in Argentina and now residing in Berlin, Zayas' music has consistently served as a product of its environment.  While his releases to date - which include 'Rio Interior' (2019) and 'Parte del Viaje' (2024) - have adapted to include notable European collaborators, the music has similarly remained true to its Argentine roots.  With upcoming releases with the Basel Jazz Orchestra, the jazz trio Narat and a duo project alongside drummer Juan Ibarra, Zayas continually embraces the art of new collaborative energy and the ability to delve into new musical narratives with each outing.

Featuring an excellent supporting cast that includes Sebastián Greschuk (trumpet), Yossi Itskovich (trombone), Jonathan Acevedo (sax), Baptiste Stanek (sax) and Gianni Narduzzi (double bass), 'Collector' revels in its creative freedoms; its ability to use the space afforded to it as a means of defining its own sound and its own expectations.  

Once again, 'Collector' serves as a project that strikes an inspired balance between music born of the moment and pieces that have previously been conceived by Zayas that all add up to an enriched listening experience.  Eschewed along with a series of well-placed interludes that help to navigate between more spirited, and at times frenetic, pieces there's a sublime contrast in compositions that find a comfortable joy in their solace.

Ramiro Zayas delivers a fantastic project continuing along the incredible lineage of his past releases.  With more music on the horizon, Zayas is cultivating a masterful ability in interweaving compelling narratives into each release and he clearly has many more stories to tell.