Pianists Yukako Yamano and Yukari Inoue make music with two pianos on this mini-album of cheerful exuberance. Dubai Suite is a five-part composition by Yukako Yamano which reflects her appreciation for the exotic locale the music is named for. She recorded this album in anticipation of a late 2021 return trip to Dubai. Based in Tokyo and with frequent travels throughout America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, Yamano has also been to Dubai twice. ...
Pianist Yukari Inoue’s Sakura from 2016 blooms with colorful variety as she jumps across genres as brightly as she hops around the keys. This is her first solo piano album, recorded with a beautiful sound in concert-hall quality. The pink of Sakura cherry blossoms fits perfectly with her “color of Japan” series of albums, complementing the purple of Murasaki (2010) and fresh green of Moegi (2016), her other albums on her Silver Fingers label. On Sakura, Inoue is alone at the piano, performing songs which suit her personal piano style with influences from standard jazz to pop and classical. ...