OKONSKI 'Magnolia' LP/CD (Colemine) 5/5 - ukvibe - astral travelling since 1993 (original) (raw)
Music, for me, is at its most affecting when it stirs something deep down inside, reaching the very core of my being. It’s an all-encompassing feeling, one that goes beyond heart, body and mind. Perhaps the best word to describe this would be ‘spiritual’. This is how I feel listening to Okonski’s “Magnolia”.
Okonski, named after their pianist and band leader Steve Okonski, is an acoustic piano-led trio with Aaron Fraser on drums and Michael Isvara “Ish” Montgomery on bass. “Magnolia” is their debut, and it would appear that the direction of this recording, and the resulting album, was as much a surprise to them as it might be to people already familiar with their previously released individual musical output. Ever since the Colemine label set up in Loveland, Ohio it has been a host to a number of groups passing through town, including Durand Jones and the Indications who all of this trio’s members have connections. After setting aside some time in the winter of 2020, Steve Okonski invited Michael Isvara “Ish” Montgomery and Aaron Frazer to work on an album that was initially planned to be beat-driven and fully composed of trio instrumentals. The initial session consisted of a wide variety of styles from hip-hop to Latin jazz. Nothing was rehearsed, and it wasn’t til a late-night switch to upright bass from Montgomery that the trio felt it had found its essence. When they listened back to what would become the final piece on this album, “Sunday”, its hypnotic, meditative and sincere nature gave the trio a new focus, one which they carried forward to the next recording session which is when the majority of this record was recorded.
As the stylus hits the groove of the cream swirl vinyl, my first impression is how this music sounds ‘old’. Old like an early 70’s Dollar Brand album. Old like a distant memory coming back into focus. Old like a hug from a loved one that still clings to my body, warming my heart within. There’s an authenticity to this trio that is immediate, somehow timeless in essence. The opening tune, “Runner Up”, is joyous, almost triumphant in its own majestic way. Deceptively simple melodies take me by the hand, gently leading me forward on a beautiful, nostalgic journey. This album may be contemplative and melancholic, yet it’s also full of surprises; subtle chord changes, emotive moments, and turns of pace. And on “Runner Up”, as soon as the drums, bass and piano slip effortlessly into a sumptuous groove, I’m left thinking wow, this is so cool. Not just cool… F’ing cool with a capital F.
The evocative nature of the trio’s original, improvised music continues throughout. “Field Museum” breathes new life into old, its heart-beat gentle and inquiring, with a warmth that could light up any cold, moonlit night with its slowly simmering after-hours feel. There’s an openness, an honesty to these tunes. “Old Friend” delights with its gorgeous, homely melody, and “Song for my Sister’s Son” is pensive, as if searching for a truth that we all need to find. The emotion increases even further with the brilliant “Dark Moon”, the trio on a higher plane as they combine perfectly as if articulating their inner-most thoughts collectively through their music. “Magnolia” is an album in the truest sense, where the listener journeys with the music throughout its entirety. So I wouldn’t want to pick out one tune above any other, because they are all part of that journey. But… “Walking To A Home” leaves me speechless. This piece of music sums up for me not just what this band are capable of, but how their captivating music affects me on a purely emotive level. Every part of me feels the beautiful spiritual energy of this track. The core of my very being is brought to a stillness, a state of timelessness where everything stops. And in this one, fleeting moment I see everything; the meaning of existence, my whole life flashing before me as my breath pauses, and waits. And then it’s gone. And I breathe again, with the final piece on the album, “Sunday” gently bringing me back with its lightness of touch and genuine warmth.
Okonski’s “Magnolia” is not just a triumph, it’s one of those rare albums that becomes part of you. It’ll never leave. Like the best of life-long friends, it will always be there for you. I know I’ll be turning to it, time and time again, for as long as my ears can listen and as long as my heart still beats.