Biography
Pianist/composer Hiromi, who mesmerized the jazz community with her 2003 Telarc debut, Another Mind, revisits that space between the ears with the release of Brain on May 25, 2004. The album features fellow Berklee-bred musicians Tony Grey (bass), Martin Valihora (drums), as well as special guest bassist Anthony Jackson. The album will also be released as 5.1 Surround Sound SACD (Super Audio CD).
The wildfire ignited by this Japanese-Bostonian's debut album spread all the way back to her homeland, where it went gold by the end of the year. Noting Hiromi's "facile technique and ... fiery musical temperament," The Los Angeles Times praised Another Mind for its tendency to "vibrate and surge with the non-stop sensory stimulation of the ginza, with busy bass lines and crisply dissonant harmonies."
The firestorm intensifies this year with the release of Brain, an album comprised of eight brand new compositions that are contemplations of groove, virtuosity, "Black Page" arrangements, and make-you-go-ooohhh! excitement. Worldwide touring over the past year-and-a-half has fanned the flames and spread the word.....this chick is bad! She recently performed at the JVC Jazz Festival in New York, the International Association for Jazz Education and the Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle. Expect even more in 2004.
Unlike her first release, Brain is a straight-up trio album, with bassist Anthony Jackson filling in the low end on three of the tracks. Without a doubt, this album expands on her furious keyboard skills and genre dissident flair. The eight tracks on Brain are brand new Hiromi compositions that highlight the flexibility of the trio, showing its many faces and colors, and pushing it to its limits of orchestral complexity. The resulting album is a virtual gallery of evocative musical pictures.
The opening track, "Kung Fu World Champion," parades the trio's ability to groove in an amazingly complex chart. Each player shows virtuoso talent while the composition itself has so much energy and movement that it leaves you gasping. On the other side of the coin, "Green Tea Farm," is a beautifully passionate solo piano piece that emanates emotion. The piece was inspired by Hiromi's grandparents' green tea farm in Japan. Styles change up again on the title track as the group hits a Chick Corea-esque Latin jazz piece. Deep grooves follow in the slow-dirty-funk, "Keytalk," wherein Hiromi's keyboard mimics a classic Bootsy Collins bass run through a guitar talk box.
The diversity of this album runs the gamut of rock, jazz, and classical. Her use of keyboard on this album generates moments of spaceman sounds similar to Radiohead or Flaming Lips, while her arrangements would make Zappa and Beethoven grin and nod their head in time, P-Funk style.
This 25-year-old "youngblood" started playing piano at age 6. She studied at the Yamaha School of Music as well as Berklee. At 14, she preformed with the Czech Philharmonic. At 17, she performed with Chick Corea. Ahmad Jamal has also taken her under his wing. In Japan, Hiromi logged in some time writing advertising jingles for companies such as Nissan. She is now writing for herself, from her heart, and the impact is more intense than a Kung Fu chop.
Review
Japanese pianist Hiromi Uehara detonated on a major label with her debut release Another Mind. That recording was overwhelming in its power, technique, and intelligence. In short, it was like a swift kick in the privates, getting your attention while taking your breath away at the same time. While her new release, Brain, is no kick in the privates, it is an evocatively well dressed statement by a brashly intelligent young artist who has a lot to say for herself.
The diminutive Hiromi proves a huge funk jones on Brain, beginning with the disc opener, "Kung-Fu World Champion," where she mixes electronic and acoustic effortlessly and allows bassist Tony Grey to produce the love child of Bootsy Collins and Jaco Pastorious. Hiromi’s musicianship is staggering, her sense of melody and harmony is secure and well-informed, whether electric or acoustic. She does provide two beautiful ballads, one up-beat and one ethereal. The former is "If...," which employs a gentle velocity in a full orchestral setting. "Wind Song" resembles nothing else on this or the previous recording in its quiet contemplation. The title cut is similar to the opener with its mixture of electronics and acoustics.
All of the pieces are pregnant with ideas, very well thought out ideas. In spite of my prejudice against electric elements in jazz, it is impossible for me to state anything other than that Brain is very likely to be a highlight recording of 2004.
From Usa
Label: Telerc Jazz
Year: 2004
Genre: Jazz
Style: Mainstream/Bop/Hard Bop/Cool
Track Title
1.Kung-Fu World Champion
2.If ...
3.Wind Song
4.Brain
5.Desert On The Moon
6.Green Tea Farm (Solo)
7.Keytalk
8.Legend Of The Purple Valley
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