I don’t recall seeing a better piano-based jazz trio than Hiromi with Anthony Jackson on bass and Simon Phillips on drums, a couple of years back at Evanston Space outside of Chicago.
The trio, touring for Hiromi’s 2016 release Spark, truly was on fire.
Due on Oct. 4, 2019, Hiromi’s forthcoming Spectrum will forgo the usual high-high powered rhythm section for her second solo-piano project. The title track, just released in advance of the album, confirms the pianist and composer’s incendiary writing and playing style shines through, even without instrumental accompaniment.
Her fleet-fingered approach fills the listener’s mind with images of vibrant color. About two minutes into “Spectrum,” Hiromi takes a dive, changing the melody to something which touches briefly on bebop before breaking into a rhythmic and melodic dance that culminates in a recapitulation of the opening themes.
“Spectrum” is bright, dynamic and mystifying. What else would you expect from Hiromi?
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