“She is not simply interested in flaunting her technique; the art of improvisation nestles comfortably within her theme of movement, space, and "the place to be." –Jeff Winbush, All About Jazz 

Hiromi©Andrea Canter

One of the most daring and creative voices of her generation, or perhaps of any working generation in jazz today, Hiromi Uehara (known professional as just Hiromi) has been rewriting the canon of modern jazz piano since her first recording and accumulating a list of awards on both sides of the Pacific, from Record and Artist of the Year honors from Swing Magazine to similar accolades from the Boston Music Society and Guinness Jazz Festival. Her latest recordings, Beyond Standard with Sonicbloom, Duet with Chick Corea, and Jazz in the Garden with the Stanley Clarke Trio confirm her star trajectory. And finally, Hiromi has pared down her partners to just one—the piano, with the January release of her first solo recording, Place to Be. And the place to be in the coming week is Chicago at the Jazz Showcase (March 4-7) or Minneapolis at the Dakota (March 8-9). 

A native of Shizuoka, Japan, Hiromi started playing piano at age 5, and enrolled in the Yamaha School of Music at age six. By age 12, she was performing in public, and at 14 performed with the Czech Philharmonic. When she was 17, she met Chick Corea in Tokyo: "He was doing something at Yamaha, and I was visiting Tokyo at the time to take some lessons. I talked to some teachers and said that I really wanted to see him. I sat down with him, and he said 'Play something.' So I played something, and then he said, 'Can you improvise?' I told him I could, and we did some two-piano improvisations. Then he asked me if I was free the next day. I told him I was, and he said, 'Well, I have a concert tomorrow. Why don't you come?' So I went there, and he called my name at the end of the concert, and we did some improvisations together." 

Hiromi©Andrea Canter

For several years, Hiromi performed and recorded in trio format with fellow Berklee alums Tony Grey (bass) and Martin Valihora (drums). The Los Angeles Times praised her debut, Another Mind (2003), for its tendency to "vibrate and surge with the non-stop sensory stimulation of the ginza, with busy bass lines and crisply dissonant harmonies." Brain (2004) quickly followed, showcasing one of the most daring and creative voices of her generation, or perhaps of any working generation in jazz today. Indeed, Brain received Swing Journal's "New Star Award," Jazz Life's "Gold Album," HMV Japan's "Best Japanese Jazz Album," the Surround 2004 Horizon Award, the Japan Music Pen Club's "Japanese Artist Award," and recently, Swing’s “Album of the Year” in its 2005 Readers’ Poll. Noted her mentor (and co-producer of Another Mind), Ahmad Jamal, "Hiromi is changing the musical landscape. Her music, charm, and spirit let her soar to unimaginable heights. She is nothing short of amazing."  

Particularly following the scrumptious diversity of Brain, one had to wonder which of many directions Hiromi would go next, or perhaps how she could continue to explore so many ideas without losing her way. With Spiral (2006), Hiromi again proved to be an endless well of original musical ideas that range from the eerily bizarre to the classically lyrical. And again, Spiral won the Swing Journal Award for the best jazz album by a Japanese artist. 

Then along came Time Control in 2007, featuring the same band with the addition of fretless guitar star David Fiuczynski and the new name, Sonicbloom, an apt description of the soundscapes that expanded the electronic experiments of the earlier recordings. Hiromi described the move from trio to quartet:  “I always like taking risk in terms of finding something new - a new landscape that I've never seen. I decided to change the format of the band. I really need to break the triangle - in a good way - I needed somebody who would be a strong spice. I thought of Fuze [David Fiuczynski] because I had played with him on my first record and I felt a great chemistry with him... It's hard in terms of writing music because guitar and piano are two chordal instruments and it's so easy for them to sound messy together. I really had to learn when to shut up and when to play.” Many of the characteristics that have marked Hiromi’s music to date were still present, reflecting a maturing approach to composition that merges classical simplicity with 21st century complexity. 

Sonicbloom continued to flower in 2008 with the quartet release of Beyond Standard. Here the interplay among the foursome is at times playful, at times volcanic, often unpredictably fun. The “standards” include such familiar fare as “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise,” “My Favorite Things,” Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” (make that lunatic?) and an insane romp through “Caravan.” But perhaps most insane, and most amazing, is her solo run at “I’ve Got Rhythm,” six minutes dedicated to mentor Oscar Peterson that would dazzle OP and Art Tatum. With six CDs as leader, Hiromi appeared on two other projects released in 2009, a dazzling set of duets with Chick Corea (Duet on Telarc) and as part of Stanley Clarke’s Trio (with drummer Lenny White) on the Heads Up release, Jazz in the Garden. In both instances, the core is all acoustic; the piano—not the frenzy—stands out; and Hiromi upstages her older and legendary collaborators. 

Audiences have been blown away by Hiromi’s dynamic range, percussive attack, and creative compositions that echo the wild playfulness of the Bad Plus as well as the sophisticated complexities of Tyner, Jamal and Jarrett. True to her generation, she integrates elements of current rock and pop—always with an underlying foundation of high-flying improvisation. Listening to her recordings, like her live performances, is an acoustic feast. Her left hand provides dazzling bass lines, her attack is as percussive and driving as a drum kit; and her keyboarding as challenging and musical as the Bad Plus’ Ethan Iverson while showing greater complexity.  Hints of her classical upbringing peek through, but like Debussy on psychodelics. She can be alternately haunting and majestic, channeling bells, violins, even Bill Evans without letting the listener forget there’s a firestorm raging nearby.  

Hiromi©Andrea Canter

Listeners who have already encountered and enjoyed Hiromi will find surprising new layers in this amazing musician’s compositions and reinterpretations as presented in an intimate solo context. 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, she turns time and melody inside-out, true to the unbridled spirit of her generation.  

The Jazz Showcase and The Dakota are surely “the place to be” when Hiromi arrives in solitary refinement.  

Hiromi performs at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, March 4-7, two sets per night at 8 and 10:30 pm; www.jazzshowcase.com. She moves west to Minneapolis, March 8-9, sets at 7 and 9:30 pm; www.dakotacooks.com 

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites