New Hiromi album Spiral out today!

[Guest]

Hi there,

I'm new here but I've been lurking for several months. I plan to

become a more active member in the coming weeks/months.

Anyway, I'd like to point all of you toward the new album by

progressive jazz pianist Hiromi. It's called Spiral and hits US

stores today. For some reason Europe has to wait even longer

(February 3rd for Germany, 27th for the UK) even though the

album has been out in Japan since late October. I got a copy

of the Japanese version that also includes a bonus track

("Big Chill") that is pretty nice but not essential. The limited

edition of the album comes with a DVD that includes the entire

album in DTS surround sound and a live video of "Kung-Fu

World Champion" from her last album Brain. Good stuff.

I think Hiromi's songwriting has been getting better with each

release and the four song suite "Music for three-piece orchestra"

on the new album is really great IMO. I also like how she uses

more synthesizers this time around but mixes them better with

the usual piano trio sound than before, using more pad sounds

and less queaky lead patches. Speaking of the trio, the lineup

is the same as on her last album with no guest appearences -

Martin Valihora on drums and Tony Grey on electric bass.

I recommend this album to everyone who liked Brain. It's more

laid back than her debut Another Mind (which I also adore) and

quite similar to Brain in style. The songs seem stronger overall and

it's not quite the all-out shredfest that Another Mind was at times.

Thanks for reading,

Michael

Edited January 17, 2006 by Kyo

[Kalo]

Thanks for reading,

Michael

Thanks for marketing...

[Guest]

Thanks for marketing...

Being a bit paranoid here, eh?

Let me tell you that I don't live in the US and English is not even my

second language. I think Telarc would find someone more suitable

to do their marketing.

[Adam]

Hi Kyo,

Welcome. We'd be less paranoid if your first posting to the boards wasn't marketing. You can probably understand how that looks.

Please try posting in a few threads without trying to sell CDs. We'd love to have your opinion on other records, or the Album of the Week, or live shows.

Best regards,

Adam

[Guest]

I'm not trying to sell anything, I'm just pointing the people here towards an album that

I've owned and enjoyed for two months but that only now gets released outside of Japan.

It's just that nobody else mentioned it first for me to add my comments, so I had to

start a thread myself. Should I feel sorry for including information like release dates?

Since I've been known to champion Hiromi's work in several other forums I'm keeping

track of those things as there's not much of a point in praising an album that's only

available as an expensive import. Especially in the case of a relatively unknown artist like Hiromi.

I know I only found out about her through a post entitled "Hiromi Uehara = AWESOME"

on an internet forum. Sorry for trying to spread the word, but honestly, I'm just a big

fan and not affiliated with her label, her management or whatever at all.

- Michael

Edited January 20, 2006 by Kyo

[Jim Alfredson]

I don't know why everyone here is so uppity about "spam". We don't get much of it at all as it is.

Kyo, welcome. Don't worry about it. Keep posting.

[Adam]

My apologies.

[CJ Shearn]

Kyo san, yokoso! Watashi wa CJ desu. Yoroshiku. Gomenasai, nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu. I've wanted to hear this, Hiromi is an amazing player. Sorry everyone, practicing very very bad, basic Japanese I've learned so far. Nihongo ga ja arimasen (I am not skilled or I am not very good in Japanese)

Edited January 21, 2006 by CJ Shearn

[sheldonm]

...got 2 stars in Downbeat for what that's worth....one writer says "Preciousness and superficiality are a bad combo and this trio has them both in abundance"....another says "Hiromi's much touted virtuosity is readily apparent-though in a world of virtuosos, not unique"...

m~

[Guest]

Kyo san, yokoso! Watashi wa CJ desu. Yoroshiku. Gomenasai, nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu. I've wanted to hear this, Hiromi is an amazing player. Sorry everyone, practicing very very bad, basic Japanese I've learned so far. Nihongo ga ja arimasen (I am not skilled or I am not very good in Japanese)

CJ-san! Hajimemashite! Dozo yoroshiku! Demo watashi wa nihonjin dewa arimasen, Doitsujin desu!

And for those who don't speak the language: I'm not Japanese, I'm really German. Or rather,

I live in Germany and have done so for most of my life. Originally I'm Polish, so this makes

Japanese my (really, really poor) fourth language.

As for that Downbeat review, I honestly don't see why this music could be considered

pretentious. It's way too playful. To my ears Hiromi's playing is supposed to be one thing: fun.

[CJ Shearn]

Ithink to Downbeat anything fusion wise=pretention. I forgot to put dozo in front of yoroshiku..... oops