Had the profound pleasure and honor to see Japanese jazz piano giant Hiromi at Sculler’s in Boston last night (2/3/2010). She was playing in support of her superb new solo piano album on Telarc “Place to Be.” The petit 30 year old Hiromi unleashed one of the most astonishing displays of instrumental virtuosity I have ever witnessed. From the explosive opening Gershwin tune to the last number, the Boston tribute called “Cape Cod Chips.” She was unrelentingly amazing, at once lyrical and dynamic with a laser beam focus. As an artist who seemed to totally inhabit every tune she played and never once lost her bearings no matter how long or florid her arpeggios or the intricacies of the rhythmic patterns. In that case her only antecedent seemed to be Art Tatum or perhaps her mentor Oscar Peterson (for whom she did a heartbreaking tribute last night). There was no doubt from anybody witnessing this amazing show that we were hearing something that was rare, wonderful and totally delightful. Her piano virtuosity was such that you felt that she could play anything she desired at any point in time, musicianship that was proscribed by no physical boundaries whatsoever. I need to be very clear that while her technical skills are often mentioned, I felt that all that skill was put into service for the music alone and never used in a gratuitous manner. Every tune Hiromi played last night was deeply imbued with a selfless joy of making music.
I spoke briefly with the gracious and humble Hiromi after the show, and on walking back I passed jazz impresario Fred Taylor who books Sculler’s Jazz Club. I remember him from back in the halcyon days of the Jazz Workshop and Paul’s Mall on Boylston Street and I looked at him and said the only thing I could think of; “wow” to which he replied back “wow.”
You can read more about Hiromi on her website - http://www.hiromimusic.com/
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