Hiromi
Brain

The world of jazz as a stereotype is generally a male preserve. Quoting Paolo Conte, "Women hated jazz, for reasons unknown," a saying that, alas, I have often found to be true. But today, dear readers, we are here to debunk this saying. Because this Japanese pianist has an exquisite and non-conformist personality.

It is clear that she has absorbed many and varied influences. As she says:

"I love Bach, I love Oscar Peterson, I love Franz Liszt, I love Ahmad Jamal, I also love people like Sly and the Family Stone, Dream Theatre and King Crimson. Also, I'm so much inspired by sports players like Carl Lewis and Michael Jordan. Basically, I'm inspired by anyone who has big, big energy. They really come straight to my heart."

And also:

"I don't want to put a name on my music, Other people can put a name on what I do. It's just the union of what I've been listening to and what I've been learning. It has some elements of classical music, it has some rock, it has some jazz, but I don't want to give it a name."

It's not entirely true because there's much more jazz than other genres, but it gives a good idea.

In fact, I believe that having Ahmad Jamal as a mentor is quite a satisfaction in itself. Speaking of her, he said:

"She is nothing short of amazing. Her music, together with her overwhelming charm and spirit, causes her to soar to unimaginable musical heights."

And old Jamal usually doesn't flatter people without reason.

The album opens with the funky "Kung-Fu World Champion", dedicated to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Practically danceable, it almost seems like a piece by Herbie Hancock from the "Headhunters" era. If they decided to play it on the radio frequently, it could potentially be a hit. "Wind Song" is instead an extremely sweet piece, a pleasant cool breeze. "Brain", the title track, is less traditional, almost intricate and spiraling. A little gem is the final track, "Legend of the Purple Valley", inspired by a sad Japanese fairy tale which can be read in the booklet. I won't tell it here so if curiosity itches, you can buy the album, which is truly worth it.

An overall varied listen, mixing materials of disparate origins under the banner of jazz tradition. A rather broad musical culture and a delicate yet at times aggressive sound sensitivity. If you go to the recommended link, you'll find samples and even two nice videos.