Hiromi

[MissKittysMom]

I've been off in jazz land for a while, and Hiromi has been a major discovery. She's an incredible pianist and utterly frenetic in performance. Here are a few live performances to give you something to chew on during quarantine.

First up, her Trio Project, featuring Anthony Jackson on contrabass guitar, and Steve Smith on drums. (She records with Simon Philips on drums; videos are available with him in the trio as well.)



Duet with Chick Corea.



Collaborative performance with Hiromi and tap dancer Kazunori Kumagai. Really amazing to see them improv together.

[aith01]

Hiromi is wonderful! Thanks for sharing those vids. Such a talented musician and performer. I've got a few of her CDs, but still want to get the rest.

Good to hear from you.

[Fracktured]

Her sonic bloom is quite good also. I saw the trio project a few years ago. I’ve got most of her stuff but still missing a few excluding her masters solo piano album. Some like to compare her to Keith Emerson which she has some of his style in her. Great musician and great live also.

[dt2]

I have only heard Another Mind which I found a bit to showy for my tastes. Is this pretty representative of her work?

[StarThrower]

I like this one for Steve Smith's drum solo which is so good it's ridiculous!

[dropforge]

I reckon many here adore this outrageously talented pianist's ability. I have around 6 or 7 albums, which means I need more Hiromi.

[MissKittysMom]

I have only heard Another Mind which I found a bit to showy for my tastes. Is this pretty representative of her work?

I haven't heard Another Mind, so I can't compare. She is a very high-energy performer; she uses the quieter pieces only as a change of pace. The festival performance above is roughly comparable to the Trio Project's studio recordings. She did a duet album with Chick Corea, so the Hiromi & Corea video above is typical of that recording. Her solo piano recordings fall somewhere in between, but her Rhapsody in Blue variations with the tap dancer give a flavor of her solo studio work.

Basically, if you're looking for understated jazz, you won't find it with Hiromi. She puts her passion, and her amazing technical chops, front and center.

[MissKittysMom]

I reckon many here adore this outrageously talented pianist's ability. I have around 6 or 7 albums, which means I need more Hiromi.

This. I don't have her early albums yet (Another Mind, Brain, Spiral). Those are a different trio than the later Trio Project. When I have them all, I'll still need more.

[dropforge]

This. I don't have her early albums yet (Another Mind, Brain, Spiral). Those are a different trio than the later Trio Project. When I have them all, I'll still need more.

This is the opening track on Brain, which she writes "is for Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan."

Tony Grey on bass, Martin Valihora on drums. This upload is incomplete, but that's why you get the albums.

[markwoll]

Obligatory posting of one of my favorite performances of all time ( yes, all time )
I saw this line up a couple of times. Pure magic.

[rapidfirerob]

I've seen her a number of times with WideOpenEars, and have a good number of her albums. Saw her with The Stanley Clarke Band as well. So much talent and joy.

[Don Arnold]

I like this one for Steve Smith's drum solo which is so good it's ridiculous!

Thanks for posting. Really enjoyed it!

[mozo-pg]

I'm definiltely a fan. I only own one CD (with a picture of her on the cover).

[Poisoned Youth]

She’s incredibly talented and a Prog fan’s dream as a wizard on the keys. I do find a good portion of her recorded work tedious and not something I come back to much. It’s great for threads like this, where you hear a track and see her energy and get excited, but a little goes a long way. Perhaps she is not unlike Keith Jarrett in this regard.

By FAR the albums I get the most mileage from are the two Sonicbloom sessions. You still get the best of Hiromi, but the music is less about showcasing her talent and more of a group setting where the synergy of the group becomes greater than the sum of its parts. I’d like to see more releases like this.

[Sunlight Caller]

I’m not very knowledgeable on her career, but I have picked up more than a few CDs down the years, both solo and Sonicbloom, and like them a great deal. I would love the opportunity to see her perform one of these days.

[NogbadTheBad]

She’s incredibly talented and a Prog fan’s dream as a wizard on the keys. I do find a good portion of her recorded work tedious and not something I come back to much. It’s great for threads like this, where you hear a track and see her energy and get excited, but a little goes a long way. Perhaps she is not unlike Keith Jarrett in this regard.

By FAR the albums I get the most mileage from are the two Sonicbloom sessions. You still get the best of Hiromi, but the music is less about showcasing her talent and more of a group setting where the synergy of the group becomes greater than the sum of its parts. I’d like to see more releases like this.

I'm in the same place, I enjoy when a track comes up in rotation but I rarely listen to a full album, I have Voice & Move.

[adap2it]

I have most of her stuff, maybe all of it...seen her many times, but never enough. Love the Sonic Bloom project the most..

[wiz_d_kidd]

The woman has mad skills. Here she is going absolutely nuts on a solo. Kneeling on the bench, jumping up and down, playing with her elbows...


And one of my favorite jazz pieces, but very proggy just the same, is this one...

[mozo-pg]

Nice clips - she is really mad talented!

[Zeuhlmate]

Have you ever thought of comparing Hiromi and Tigran ?
Apples to oranges ?

[simon moon]

I've been a fan since her first album.

Seen her live a couple of times.

To say she has major chops, sounds like a massive understatement.

I own everything she has release, except "Beyond Standard". I am just so tired of "standards" releases by modern players. Especially since I don't consider any of what are commonly known as "standards", as my set of standards.

[Scrotum Scissor]

She’s incredibly talented and a Prog fan’s dream as a wizard on the keys. I do find a good portion of her recorded work tedious and not something I come back to much.

I agree.

Next to someone like Satoko Fujii I find a major bulk of Hiromi's output almost bland.

[MissKittysMom]

Have you ever thought of comparing Hiromi and Tigran ?
Apples to oranges ?

Apples and oranges, pretty much. Tigran is an interesting composer and pianist, though; thanks for the heads-up.

[dropforge]

I agree.

Next to someone like Satoko Fujii I find a major bulk of Hiromi's output almost bland.

Apples and kiwis.

[Shadow]

Have you ever thought of comparing Hiromi and Tigran ?
Apples to oranges ?

Maybe a Jello match.