Hiromi
Encyclopedia
Hiromi Uehara known as Hiromi, is a jazz
composer
and pianist
born in Hamamatsu, Japan
. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blend of musical genres such as jazz
, progressive rock
, classical and fusion
in her compositions.
by her piano teacher Noriko Hakita when she was eight. At 14, she played with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
. When she was 17, she met Chick Corea
by chance in Tokyo
, and was invited to play with him at his concert the next day. After being a jingle
writer for a few years for Japanese companies such as Nissan, she enrolled to study at Berklee College of Music
in Boston, Massachusetts. There, she was mentored by Ahmad Jamal
and had already signed with jazz label Telarc before her graduation.
Since her debut in 2003, Hiromi has toured the world and appeared in numerous jazz
festivals.
She performed live at the Newport Jazz Festival
on August 8, 2009, and at the Paris Olympia
in Paris
on April 13, 2010, and toured in the summer of 2010 with the Stanley Clarke
Band.
and has been recording and touring with them ever since. Bassist Anthony Jackson was guest artist on two Brain tracks and is featured on her 2011 album Voice
.
in a performance at the Jazz Factory in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also featured in the albums Time Control and Beyond Standard
, and is currently touring with the group. Due to Fiuczynski's teaching commitments at Berklee College of Music
, guitarist John Shannon
performs with the group when Fiuczynski is unavailable.
Drummer Mauricio Zottarelli joined Hiromi's Sonicbloom for the 2009 tour.
CFIII-S concert grand piano, Nord Lead 2, Clavia Nord Electro 2
and Korg
R3.
Studio albums (as "Hiromi's Sonicbloom")
Studio albums (as "The Trio Project")
DVDs
Other appearances
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
born in Hamamatsu, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blend of musical genres such as jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, classical and fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
in her compositions.
History
Hiromi started learning classical piano at age six. She was introduced to jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
by her piano teacher Noriko Hakita when she was eight. At 14, she played with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
The Česká filharmonie is a symphony orchestra based in Prague and is the best-known and most respected orchestra in the Czech Republic.- History :...
. When she was 17, she met Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
by chance in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and was invited to play with him at his concert the next day. After being a jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
writer for a few years for Japanese companies such as Nissan, she enrolled to study at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston, Massachusetts. There, she was mentored by Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal is an innovative and influential American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. According to Stanley Crouch, Jamal is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Charlie Parker...
and had already signed with jazz label Telarc before her graduation.
Since her debut in 2003, Hiromi has toured the world and appeared in numerous jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
festivals.
She performed live at the Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
on August 8, 2009, and at the Paris Olympia
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on April 13, 2010, and toured in the summer of 2010 with the Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
Band.
Hiromi's Trio
Hiromi's trio initially consisted of bassist Mitch Cohn and drummer Dave DiCenso. In 2004, she recorded her second album Brain with fellow Berklee alumni bassist Tony Grey and drummer Martin ValihoraMartin Valihora
Martin Valihora is a Slovak drummer and percussionist.Valihora studied piano between 1986–1987, but then switched to drums, having received private lessons from a Slovak drummer Oldo Petráš. He then studied drums and percussions at the Conservatorium in Bratislava between 1990-1992...
and has been recording and touring with them ever since. Bassist Anthony Jackson was guest artist on two Brain tracks and is featured on her 2011 album Voice
Voice (Hiromi album)
Voice is an album from Hiromi Uehara Trio Project featuring bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Simon Phillips.-Music:As Hiromi says, "I called this album Voice because I believe that people’s real voices are expressed in their emotions. It’s not something that you really say. It’s more something...
.
Hiromi's Sonicbloom
On October 19, 2006, the trio added guitarist David FiuczynskiDavid Fiuczynski
David "Fuze" Fiuczynski is an American guitarist, best known as the leader of the Screaming Headless Torsos and David Fiuczynski's KiF, and as a member of Hasidic New Wave...
in a performance at the Jazz Factory in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also featured in the albums Time Control and Beyond Standard
Beyond Standard
Beyond Standard is an album by Hiromi Uehara’s group, Hiromi’s Sonicbloom. Contrasting her previous album’s that were mostly original compositions, this one it’s a collection of Jazz standards played in a fusion style.- Track listing :...
, and is currently touring with the group. Due to Fiuczynski's teaching commitments at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, guitarist John Shannon
John Shannon
John Shannon is an American modern folk guitarist, vocalist, and composer. He has played with artists like Haale, Pyeng Threadgill, Sonya Kitchell, Ruslan Sirota, Hiromi and has also recorded three albums as the leader of the instrumental jazz fusion trio Waking Vision...
performs with the group when Fiuczynski is unavailable.
Drummer Mauricio Zottarelli joined Hiromi's Sonicbloom for the 2009 tour.
Instruments
Hiromi plays the YamahaYamaha (manufacturer)
is a multinational corporation and conglomerate based in Japan with a wide range of products and services, predominantly musical instruments, electronics, motorcycles and power sports equipment.-History:...
CFIII-S concert grand piano, Nord Lead 2, Clavia Nord Electro 2
Clavia Nord Electro 2
Clavia Nord Electro 2 is an electronic keyboard developed in Sweden, by Clavia.Like its predecessor, the Clavia Nord Electro, consists of carefully sampled and modelled electro-mechanical keyboards: Electric Pianos and Wurlitzer electric pianos, and Hohner Clavinet are sampled...
and Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
R3.
Discography
Studio albums (as "Hiromi")- Another MindAnother MindAnother Mind is the debut release from Hiromi Uehara, a jazz and jazz fusion pianist. It was released in 2003 and received the award for foreign jazz album of the year in in the 2004 Japan Annual Gold Disc Awards.-Track listing:...
(2003) - Brain (2004)
- SpiralSpiral (Hiromi album)Spiral is an album from Hiromi Uehara's trio featuring bassist Tony Grey and drummer Martin Valihora. It's said to be "part classical, part jazz and part simply unclassifiable." -Track listing:# Spiral # Open Door - Tuning - Prologue...
(2006) - Place to BePlace to BePlace To Be is a solo album by jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara. The album features 10 original compositions which are intended to musically describe Hiromi's travels around the world.-Music:...
(2009) - solo piano with guest Akiko YanoAkiko Yanois a Japanese pop and jazz musician and singer. She was born as Akiko Suzuki in Tokyo and raised in Aomori, Aomori, and later began her singing career in the mid-1970s...
on a bonus track
Studio albums (as "Hiromi's Sonicbloom")
- Time Control (2007)
- Beyond StandardBeyond StandardBeyond Standard is an album by Hiromi Uehara’s group, Hiromi’s Sonicbloom. Contrasting her previous album’s that were mostly original compositions, this one it’s a collection of Jazz standards played in a fusion style.- Track listing :...
(2008)
Studio albums (as "The Trio Project")
- VoiceVoice (Hiromi album)Voice is an album from Hiromi Uehara Trio Project featuring bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Simon Phillips.-Music:As Hiromi says, "I called this album Voice because I believe that people’s real voices are expressed in their emotions. It’s not something that you really say. It’s more something...
(2011)
DVDs
- Hiromi Live in ConcertHiromi Live in ConcertHiromi Live in Concert is a DVD of a concert recorded at the Shinagawa Stellar Ball in Tokyo in December 2005. It features the pianist Hiromi Uehara accompanied by bassist Tony Grey and drummer Martin Valihora.-Track listing:...
(2009, recorded in 2005) - Hiromi’s Sonicbloom Live in Concert (2007)
- Solo Live at Blue Note New York (2011)
Other appearances
- Chick & Hiromi - Duet (2008, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; 2009, international) - live album recorded with Chick CoreaChick CoreaArmando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
at the TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
Blue NoteBlue Note (jazz clubs)The Blue Note is a jazz club and restaurant located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. Opened in 1981 by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, the club is now considered one of the world's most famous jazz venues... - The Stanley ClarkeStanley ClarkeStanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
Trio (featuring Hiromi and Lenny WhiteLenny WhiteLeonard White III, better known as Lenny White is an American jazz fusion drummer, who is best known for playing in Chick Corea's Return to Forever.-Biography:...
) - Jazz in the GardenJazz in the GardenJazz in the Garden is the debut release from the Stanley Clarke Trio, featuring pianist Hiromi and drummer Lenny White. It was released in 2009 on CD and vinyl...
(2009) - Flashback - Triangle Soundtrack (2009)
- Tokyo Ska Paradise OrchestraTokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band officially formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene...
- Goldfingers (2010) - The Stanley Clarke Band - The Stanley Clarke BandThe Stanley Clarke BandThe Stanley Clarke Band is an album by jazz bassist Stanley Clarke. It was released by Heads Up Record in June 2010 and was produced by Clarke and Lenny White. Band members include Ruslan Sirota on keyboard, Ronald Bruner, Jr. on drums and Hiromi on piano...
(2010)