Photo by Andrea Canter
The title track, “Brain,” starts out like a somewhat twisted Bach prelude, then launches into an other-worldly synth ostinato. With dark intensity from the drum kit, the acoustic segments convey a majestic quality. Says Hiromi, “This is about the fighting between reasons and emotions.” As reason and emotion battle back and forth, “Brain” is Bach in outer space. “Desert on the Moon” is another lyrical melody, reminiscent of the works of Kenny Werner, Fred Hersch, and Lynne Arriale. The trio's collaborative improvisations add complexity to the melody line and rhythm. As on the moon, there is less gravity—and the this music floats. “Green Tea Farm” is a gorgeous solo ballad that Hiromi dedicates to her parents and her home in Japan, known for its green tea. This is yet another engaging melody that seems to beg for lyrics.

The pianist provides a context for interpreting her composition, “Key Talk”: “Whenever I am playing the piano, I always feel like the keys are talking to me, each of them trying so hard to get my attention.” With Tony Grey's bass providing a foundation of quirkiness, the surface ripples with electronic humor and one hears a back and forth conversation between electric and acoustic elements. With Asian influences apparent in the phrasing, this futuristic conversation moves into territory that is unquestionably blues, but a blues of another world. The closing tune, “Legend of the Purple Valley,” was inspired by an ancient Japanese tale of a Buddhist sculptor. Again, Hiromi creates a strong melody, this time with dark harmonic elements that add mystery as well as beauty.

The artist's website aptly describes this recording as “a virtual gallery of evocative musical pictures.” Listeners who have already encountered and enjoyed Hiromi will find surprising new layers in this amazing musician's compositions. Anyone discovering Hiromi for the first time will identify a rich heritage of influences that defy classification. As a composer, she draws from a bottomless well of ideas; as a performer and ensemble leader, she turns time and melody inside-out, true to the unbridled spirit of her generation, be it a mystical lunar “Desert” or an incendiary battle of “Kung Foo Champions.”

Before starting her fall tour of Japan with Oscar Peterson, Hiromi will be in Boston at Scullers on September 8, 2004 (www.scullersjazz.com). For more information about Hiromi, visit http://www.hiromimusic.com