Given her Japanese heritage, the revered, Brooklyn-based composer, vocalist, shamisen player, and educator Emi Makabe was drawn to her native language’s unique iteration: ekō. Makabe explains: “It shares the English pronunciation, but it means praying for people who have passed away.” Which resonated deeply with her, as her father passed away in 2021. “It was during the pandemic, so nobody could visit,” Makabe says. “I watched him as he was taken to the hospital in a wheelchair, and I was praying that he might turn around just once. He didn’t turn back — and that was the last time I saw him.”

Yet a soul refraction still transpired — one poignantly documented on Echo, Makabe’s second album, due May 16 via Sunnyside. Featuring a masterful band in bassist and backing vocalist Thomas Morgan; pianist, accordionist and Wurlitzer organist Vitor Gonçalves; and drummer, percussionist, vibraphonist, and electronicist Kenny Wollesen, Echo also features the estimable talents of guitarist Bill Frisell, MC Meshell Ndegeocello, and pianist Jason Moran.