Hiromi Uehara (known as simply Hiromi) is a pianist who needs very little introduction. Her reputation for virtuosic playing has been a constant for over 20 years, though the ability to define her music into one genre is something that remains an impossible feat. From her classical origins (she was playing with orchestras by the time she was a teenager) to her latest album Out There, Hiromi has continued to develop her own unique sound with each new project. Developing her skills under her mentor Ahmad Jamal at Berklee, the Japanese pianist had already signed with Telarc prior to graduating and debuted her first album Another Mind in 2003. From here she has performed all over the world, gaining fame through her jazz take on Pachelbel’s Canon with nearly half a million views, her viral Tiny Desk Performance with over two million, and becoming immediately recognisable through her eclectic style and her absolutely infectious grin whenever she puts her hands on the keys.  

Her latest project, Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, released its first album back in 2023: Sonicwonderland. A quartet lineup but with the traditional taking a backseat in favour of a fusion sound, Hiromi joined forces with the outstanding Hadrien Feraud on bass, Gene Coye on drums and progressive Adam O’Farrill on trumpet, whilst she led the band from piano and keys. The album was a huge success (featured as a previous Recording of the Week) and highlighted Hiromi’s musical refusal to be categorised one way or the other. The blend of fusion, funk, jazz, and even rock and classical saw the album move from bops to ballads with ease, and the tracks with wild synths and rhythms sounded as if the listener had stepped into a virtual world. 

The same energy is applied, if not developed even more so, in her follow-up album Out There. The delightful spirit that weaves through the first album is still present, but the collective sound builds on its predecessor with material that seems more focused and nuanced this time around. Due in part to Hiromi’s own musical appetite to never settle, the ensemble have now been playing and touring together for two years – and the new material has certainly been written with that in mind. 

Out There kicks off with the explosive and busy ‘XYZ’ (a reinterpretation of the same track from Hiromi’s first album) and the band makes it clear they’re not here to mess around. The track starts with a rapidly descending motif for the intro, then it’s a classically-infused bassy piano, insanely fiery bass lines (Feraud really is in a whole different class), bop trumpet improvisations and textured drumming. Certainly gives a glimpse of what you can expect from this album…you’d think. 

I admit I fell into the trap of thinking I understood exactly what kind of sound this album would be honing in on, but taking a listen to ‘Pendulum’ forced me to reassess. With two versions of the track (one with vocals featuring the soft and subtle tones of Michelle Willis and the other a luscious Hiromi piano solo), both are relatively acoustic in comparison to many of her other tracks. This was laid-back, pure soulful and blissful listening, and made a great counterbalance to some of the more riotous pieces on the album.  

The centre of the album is made up of a four piece suite (take Hiromi’s advice and listen to it all the way through), starting with free-wheeling ‘Takin’ Off’ that features Hiromi’s refined solo on piano and keys and Feraud’s rapidly technical one on bass, all the way through to ‘The Quest’ that concludes with synths aplenty and fast, choppy rhythms (looking at you again, Feraud). Finally ‘Balloon Pop’ is a fitting conclusion to this new album: quirky, fun - but not simple. The trumpet sound is bright and clear one minute and then cosmic-sounding the next, the synth riff is an easy earworm, and the virtuosic playing from the ensemble is delightful. 

Hiromi Sonicwonder’s Out There features top quality musicians creating top quality music. The inability to classify the album into any one genre means that not only is the act of listening to it a musical experience, but also that there’s likely to be something that will appeal to fans of any jazz genre in it's mix. Hiromi demonstrates her virtuosic flair in every track and her ensemble are more than up to the task of keeping up with her. There’s no doubt that this is a thrilling sequel to the band’s debut, and hopefully only the first of many follow-up albums to come. 

from  www.prestomusic.com