FRANCESCA PRIHASTI

BENEATH THE SUN

Independent Label

Francesca Prihasti, piano/composer/arranger; Nic Vardanega, guitar; Drew Gress, bass; Mark Ferber, drums; Nick Brust, alto & soprano saxophone.

Indonesia-born Francesca Prihasti offers the listener seven original compositions in the contemporary jazz mode.  As she writes in her liner notes:

“The sun is warm and gentle. It brightens the day. It helps living things grow. But the sun can also reveal things that can’t be seen in the dark. Dust and debris are exposed through a window lit by sunlight.”

The pianist’s opening tune was inspired by a friend’s assertion that every truth is a combination of two opposite truths.  Prihasti feels that at some point, a stand must be taken, rather than lingering in the space “In Between.”

The title tune is a dedication to her two children, a daughter and a son.  In her press package she writes: “When my children were born, something within me shifted.  My old self faded and I became someone new. … a spiritual awakening … a love that teaches, humbles, and transforms.”

She adds electronics to her piano presentation on “Till We Have Faces” written during the COVID 19 pandemic when the world began to mask.

“Masks didn’t just hide our faces, they concealed parts of ourselves. They created distance, making it harder to connect on a deeper level,” Francesca Prihasti explains.

I believe that Francesca Prihasti is still finding her voice as a jazz pianist, while her composer skills are blossoming like a field of wildflowers. She exhibits fine technique and classical training, however, her solos lack the fluidity and improvisational freedom that jazz demands. This can develop with time and study. Her debut album is a colorful promise of what’s to come. It will become available to the public on January 16, 2026.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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