Album Notes

Everything on this album is a character portrait done in sound instead of color. As a band with one foot in the music of our forefathers and one foot in the music of tomorrow, our music delves into everything from traditional jazz repertoire to improvisation around sound cells. "deluge... view from the side (for Janiece)" was my first attempt at melding improvisation with electronics with a traditional jazz form and feel. "theme for Manoa" and "Loretta through a broken mirror" are written in the jazz idiom but with serious departures in harmony and form.

We feel it is important to pay respect to the tradition of jazz without alienating it from the tradition of music as a whole. The artists who are able to continue making this music exciting are the ones who are able to push it forward while maintaining respect for its heritage. The language and tradition of what has become America's only truly indigenous music is simply too precious to watch become a thing of the past.

Thanks for listening,

Lily Maase


We've expanded! Look for our new recording, Aftermath, as a quintet under the name LM5 (...the lily maase quintet...), out now!