Hiromi Uehara
| Hiromi | |
|---|---|
 Moers Festival 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Hiromi Uehara |
| Born | March 26, 1979 |
| Origin | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, post-bop, classical |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Piano, keyboard, synthesizers |
| Years active | 1996-present |
| Labels | Telarc International |
| Website | hiromimusic.com |
Hiromi Uehara (上原 ひろみ, born 26 March 1979), known professionally 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 post-bop, progressive rock, classical and fusion in her compositions.[1]
Contents
History[edit]
Hiromi started learning classical piano at age of six[2], and was later introduced to jazz by her piano teacher Noriko Hikida. 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.[3] 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 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.
Trio[edit]
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 Valihora and recorded and toured with them until 2009. Bassist Anthony Jackson was guest artist on two Brain tracks and is featured on her 2011 album Voice, 2012 album Move and 2014 album Alive, along with drummer Simon Philips.[4] Her most recent tour (2015) featured Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips. Her 2016 album Spark reached the #1 position on the US Billboard Jazz Albums chart for the week of April 23, 2016.[5]
Hiromi's Sonicbloom[edit]
On October 19, 2006, the trio added guitarist David Fiuczynski in a performance at the Jazz Factory in Louisville, Kentucky, to form Hiromi's Sonicbloom. He is also featured in the albums Time Control and Beyond Standard. Due to Fiuczynski's teaching commitments at Berklee, guitarist John Shannon performed with the group when Fiuczynski was unavailable.
Drummer Mauricio Zottarelli joined Hiromi's Sonicbloom for the 2009 tour.[6]
Instruments[edit]
In an interview published in 2010, Hiromi said she plays the Yamaha CFIII-S concert grand piano, Nord Lead 2, Clavia Nord Electro 2 73, Clavia Nord Stage Piano and Korg microKORG.[7]
Discography[edit]
Studio albums (as "Hiromi")
- Another Mind (2003)
- Brain (2004)
- Spiral (2005)
- Place to Be (2009) - solo piano with guest Akiko Yano on a bonus track
Studio albums (as "Hiromi's Sonicbloom")
- Time Control (2007)
- Beyond Standard (2008)
Studio albums (as "The Trio Project")
DVDs
- Hiromi Live in Concert (2009, recorded in 2005)
- Hiromi's Sonicbloom Live in Concert (2007)
- Solo Live at Blue Note New York (2011)
- Hiromi: Live in Marciac (2012)
Other appearances
- Chick & Hiromi - Duet (2008, Japan; 2009, international) - live album recorded with Chick Corea at the Tokyo Blue Note
- The Stanley Clarke Trio (featuring Hiromi and Lenny White) - Jazz in the Garden (2009)
- Flashback - Triangle Soundtrack (2009)
- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - Goldfingers (2010)[8]
- The Stanley Clarke Band - The Stanley Clarke Band (2010)
- Akiko Yano and Hiromi - Get Together -LIVE IN TOKYO- (2011)
- Kelly Peterson - Oscar, With Love (featured on 'Take Me Home') (2015)[9]
- Akiko Yano and Hiromi - Ramen-na Onnatachi (2017)
- Hiromi & Edmar Castañeda - Live in Montreal (2017) [10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Jackson, Grant (April 23, 2010). "Hiromi On Piano Jazz". NPR Music. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
- ^ Hiromi Uehara official site
- ^ Boston Globe interview
- ^ Concord Music Group - "Voice" by Hiromi
- ^ [1]
- ^ Mauricio Zottarelli Myspace page
- ^ "Hiromi :The Solo Piano Sorcery of Place To Be". Keyboard Magazine. Retrieved 11 Jun 2011.
- ^ Coolestsound.jp
- ^ Oscar with Love
- ^ http://www.hiromiuehara.com/en/discography/
External links[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hiromi Uehara. |
- Official website
- Hiromi Uehara discography at MusicBrainz
- Hiromi: The Trio Project discography at MusicBrainz
- Hiromi Ueharal discography at Discogs
- Hiromi Uehara at MTV
- 1979 births
- Berklee College of Music alumni
- Female jazz composers
- Grammy Award winners
- Hosei University alumni
- Japanese jazz composers
- Japanese jazz pianists
- Japanese women pianists
- Jazz fusion pianists
- Living people
- Musicians from Shizuoka Prefecture
- People from Hamamatsu
- Ragtime composers
- Women in electronic music
- Women jazz pianists
