HIROMI'S SONIC BOOM
Time Control
Telarc
Read
the Jazzitude review of Hiromi/Another Mind
Read the Jazzitude
Review of Hiromi/Brain
Read the Jazzitude
Review of Hiromi/Spiral
Hirmoi Uehara has cut three previous albums
for the Telarc label, and on all of them she has demonstrated
a love of fusion, evoking the energy and technical prowess
of the mid-to late-70s fusion work of Return to Forever,
Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the like. Nonetheless, she’s
also demonstrated an ability to play acoustic piano with
great delicacy and beauty as well as a well-honed sense
of compositional balance. Her latest (fourth) release is
billed under the name ‘Hiromi’s Sonic Boom,’
which turns out to be her regular trio (bassist Tony Grey
and drummer Martin Valihora) plus visionary guitarist David
“Fuze” Fiuczynski. Fiuczynski, who has described
himself as ‘a jazz musician who doesn’t want
to play just jazz’ appeared on one track on Hiromi’s
debut CD, Another Mind. Here he’s a full-fledged
collaborator who helps Hiromi produce an album that is full
of high-octane fusion sounds.
Hiromi provides her usual high-powered playing
on acoustic piano as well as the Clavia Nord Electro 2 synthesizer
and Korg Mikrokorgm, giving her a full range of both digital
and analog sounds. Fiuczysnki is fully integrated into the
band here, with no ‘special guest’ grafted-on
sound to his work. It sounds like music that was conceived
with the guitarist in mind.
Following
a classical-style opening on the first track, “Time
Difference,” Hiromi and band settle into a nice groove
and she unelashes her first solo, on synthesizer. Grey and
Valhora demonstrate their near-telepathic interplay with
the keyboardist at this point. When Fiuczynski unleashes
his first guitar solo near the three minute mark, and then
he and Uehara to into a duet, bouncing off one another,
the sound is a bit reminiscent of Jeff Beck’s Wired
album. “Time Out” introduces a funky walking
pace, then Fiuczynski and Uehara launch into the kinetic
melody. Fuze gets pretty far out during his subsequent solo,
then Hiromi, at about 4’25” in, launches into
a really great acoustic piano solo that no one could classify
as anything but jazz. Just when you think you’ve pegged
Hiromi as a way-out fusionista stylist, she let’s
you know that she can swing with the best—listen to
her solo about two-thirds into the laid back “Time
and Space” as well.
Tony Grey and Martin Valihora are more than
just supporting players here, and Jackson gets some really
nice solos off that stand up to the manic work of the both
Fiuczynski and the group’s leader. Both play fierce
solos on “Time Control, or Controlled by Time,”
with Grey taking a more lyrical route while Valihora unleashes
a hyperkinetic drum solo as Hiromi and Fuze riff in the
background. Time Control shows that Hiromi still
has lots of tricks up her sleeve, and that she is finding
ways to truly integrate the organic and the electric, jazz
and rock, technique and lyricism.
While some will no doubt find Time Control
a bit too modern and agitated for their taste, this
disc shows Hiromi and her band moving forward while firmly
rooted in solid musicianship and collaboration. While her
discography is still young, Hiromi Uehara has certainly
made her mark on the music world, and it’s very difficult
to imagine that she won’t continue to surprise and
awe listeners for a long time to come.
