I really need to listen to more jazz, I think. A colleague on an e-mail list for bass players posted a link and said, “Check out this bass player!”. I checked it out. The bass player was quite good. But … the piano player made my jaw drop! I’d just never heard piano playing quite like that before. I had to look up Hiromi Uehara, having never heard of her before. Found this interesting info on Wikipedia:
I just discovered her about 2 months ago on a completely random CD purchase. My decision-making process was (1) Hey…cute Japanese chick, and (2) Hey…cute JAZZ PIANIST Japanese chick. The logic was unbeatable and I had no choice but to buy it.
What I didn’t count on was the shear scale of her talent. There’s a wonderful, boisterous spirit in her music and her pop and classical sensibilities shine through without turning into hokey fusion or tipping over into obscure avant-garde wankery. Right now, I only have “Time Control” but I’m definitely planning on filling in my collection with the rest of her releases.
BTW, if you’re interested in other modern jazz composers/pianists, I highly recommend D.D. Jackson. His “Suite for New York” is an amazing work.
I hadn’t heard of her either, but will check with my jazz friends. The fact that she trained with Ahmad Jamal - a truly wonderful old-school player - is a great endorsement.
who was the bass player in question who played with her, that first brought her to your attention? Was it another attractive woman? I thought it might be Tal Wilkenfeld, this very attractive, young Australian bass player who is a complete monster - she plays with Jeff Beck, if that tells you anything…but near as I can tell, Tal and Hiromi haven’t recorded together…
**Ministre ** - what jazz to you know and like? I mean of the newer stuff - I am not super up to speed but know players like Brad Meldau, Dave Douglas, Greg Osby, etc. I had a review thread for a recent Joe Lovano/Hank Jones CD called Kids: Live at Dizzy’s Coca-Cola, which is wonderful…
There are some great user comments on iTunes. My favorite, in review of her “Another Mind” album:
“I think someone should show this album to the authorities… I don’t think you’re allowed to be this good.”
And somebody else said, “This artist is the Dave Brubeck of this generation.”
Well, I’m a big fan of this guitar-bass-drums trio, Ecstasy in Numbers. Not much of them on YouTube, unfortunately, but both of their albums are available on iTunes. They’re still performing regularly, but their third album hasn’t materialized. The first two discs were independently released, and they said at a show I attended that they’d been signed to some jazz label and were working on a new album. But that’s been 3-4 years ago, and still no new CD. But I’ve seen them live four times and they’re simply outstanding.
Nope - Tony Grey, the guy playing with her in the XYZ video (the link in the first paragraph of my OP). Both he and the drummer, Martin Valihora, attended Berklee with her.
WordMan! I was wondering if you’d show up here. I’ve noticed we tend to follow each other around to all of the jazz threads…
This really caught my attention, too. She definitely has the chops and shows a great flair for composition, too.
I don’t know how I missed this thread. I did a search and listened to some samples…good stuff.
Based on the MP3 clips available on their website, I’d say you should check out Metheny / Mehldau and The Metheny Mehldau Quartet. I think you’ll find they have a similar vibe to “Ecstasy…” but with a more expansive palette (hard to do a real comparison without more clips from “Ecstasy…”, though).
Or if you want to rock out, try The Bad Plus They’re a jazz trio who owe just as much to rock’s power-trio format as they do to jazz. Their music contains some pretty sophisticated changes and poly-rhythms but they tend to eschew show-offy solos in favour of building atmosphere or, alternatively, bashing the shit out of their instruments when the situation warrants. Their CD “Prog” is awesome tribute to prog-rock but without the aimless, noodley excesses of the genre. Of particular note are their covers of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”.
Hey, folks - up until this thread, I would have said I had a pretty thorough knowledge of jazz and jazz musicians. My gaps are smooth jazz, which I don’t seek out, and newer artists. I’m rather surprised that I haven’t run across an artist this good - Jazz FM is my regular radio station, and there’s no record there of them having played anything of hers. She’s too recent to be in the Rough Guide or the Penguin Guide, so I haven’t heard her until now, which is surprising for someone with four albums out on Telarc.
So, not to hijack, but I think maybe when I finish my current gig which is eating so much of my Dope time, I should start a thread asking about good Jazz musicians of the last ten years… Mehldau and Extasy in Numbers I’ve already heard and enjoyed.
Great links! I listened to Summertime and couldn’t resist checking out their version of the Concerto. (You know it’s going to be different when both of them start inside their pianos.) She is brilliant!
A couple of years ago I watched a TV show of a young man playing with Chick at the Blue Note. They played the finest version of Caravan that I can recall hearing. Did any of you see it and do you remember the young man’s name? I would love a recording of that performance if it exists.
There was also an interesting young jazz bass player on Letterman last week. She is young and beautiful and sings while she plays. Paul said that she is the coolest guest they’ve ever had on the show. Anyone know her name? Very different sound.
My mind is totally boggled and agog! She is brilliant and fun to watch, the pleasure she is giving us with her playing reflects on her face. She’s having a ball!
Thanks for letting us jazz fans know about her.
