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Music : New Hiromi SACD released: "Beyond Standard" |
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| Author: | 24 June 2008 | Views: 99 |
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 Hiromi’s supergroup, Sonicbloom, crafts a melting pot of jazz, classical, fusion, standards and even a traditional Japanese tune.
Hiromi’s supergroup, Sonicbloom, has shattered the formula of making
records written solely by the celebrated pianist/composer. Their latest
outing, Beyond Standard finds Tony Grey (bass), Martin
Valihora (drums), and Dave “Fuze” Fiuczynski (guitar and otherworldly
sounds) assisting Hiromi in crafting unique versions of familiar tunes
such as Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “My
Favorite Things” and even Jeff Beck’s “Led Boots.”
The group has been recognized for its energetic virtuosity by music industry and mainstream publications alike: Downbeat, JazzTimes, Keyboard, and The New York Times.
Playing festivals such as Glastonbury, Fuji Rock, and Playboy Jazz
proves that Hiromi’s unique fusion nuevo has been accepted in the world
of jazz as well as rock. Beyond Standard is a showcase for Hiromi and her band’s abilities, with each player getting plenty of room to shine.
While most of the music on the album was penned by songwriters other
than Hiromi, the album as a whole is a continuation of her previous
release, Time Control (2007). Beyond Standard
starts with a quick “Intro” that includes the popping and scratching
sounds of a vinyl record, a signal that what you are about to hear are
retro compositions performed in an updated and unique way. The music
starts with an extension of her original tune, “Time’s Up,” the final
track on Time Control. Hiromi then gives a dramatic voicing
to the theme of “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise.” As the tune
progresses, she and Fiuczynski trade some very playful fours, and
Valihora takes a fresh approach, occasionally giving a backbeat to the
jazz standard.
In keeping with her defiance of easy
categorization, Hiromi then covers Debussy’s eternally beloved “Claire
de Lune,” followed by the driving jazz standard, “Caravan,” written by
Juan Tizol and made famous by Duke Ellington. Hiromi’s rendition has an
almost Zappa-esque feel with a heart-pumping drum solo.
Hiromi and company deliver a unique rendition of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things,” a song from The Sound of Music
that later became standard jazz repertoire thanks to John Coltrane. In
a complete 180, the band follows Rodgers & Hammerstein with a cover
of legendary rock guitarist Jeff Beck’s “Led Boots,” featuring keyboard
work from Hirmoi that sounds very much like the whah-whah effect on an
electric guitar.
“Ue Wo Muite Aruko” (“I Look Up When I
Walk”) was the only Japanese pop song to make it to No. 1 on the
American pop charts. The song was released in Japan in 1961 and in the
United States in 1963. Hiromi takes the still popular song and turns it
into a funky explosion.
“XYG” is Hiromi covering Hiromi. The track is an in-your-face adaptation of “XYZ,” a track from her 2003 debut album, Another Mind, with
the addition of Fiuczynski’s roaring guitar (hence the “G”). The album
closes with Hiromi on solo piano, putting her spice on the Gershwin
classic, “I Got Rhythm.” She begins the tune with a playful, delicate
touch that builds to landslide intensity with bone-breaking riffs.
Mentored by giants like Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal and Chick Corea,
Hiromi’s roots are in jazz but her music explores a world of new ideas
by blurring the boundaries of pop, rock, classical, avant-garde and
other genres.
Born in Shizuoka, Japan, in 1979, Hiromi
discovered jazz when she took up the piano at age six. Within a year,
she was a student of the Yamaha School of Music, whose progressive
approach to musical training allowed the young student to tap into her
emotions while mastering the technical aspects of writing and
performing. At age 14, she went to Czechoslovakia and played with the
Czech Philharmonic. Three years later, Corea invited her to perform
with him. In 1999, Hiromi came to the United States to study at the
Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Hiromi established her reputation when her 2003 Telarc debut, Another Mind
– co-produced by Ahmad Jamal – shipped gold in Japan (100,000 units)
and won the Recording Industry Association of Japan’s (RIAJ) Jazz Album
of the Year Award.
Her 2004 release, Brain, won the Horizon Award at the 2004 Surround Music Awards, Swing Journal’s New Star Award, Jazz Life’s
Gold Album, HMV Japan’s Best Japanese Jazz Album, and the Japan Music
Pen Club’s Japanese Artist Award (the JMPC is a classical/jazz
journalists club). Brain was also named Album of the Year in
Swing Journal’s 2005 Readers Poll. Back in the U.S., Hiromi has been
featured on the covers of Keyboard, Jazziz, Billboard, All About Jazz-LA and Goldmine.
In 2006, Hiromi won Best Jazz Act at the Boston Music Awards and the
Guinness Jazz Festival’s Rising Star Award. She also claimed Jazzman of
the Year, Pianist of the Year and Album of the Year in Swing Journal Japan’s Jazz Readers Poll for her 2006 release, Spiral.
Beyond Standard is what happens when Hiromi’s Sonicbloom takes popular tunes out of the box and casts them in an entirely new light.
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