HIROMI — Hiromi's Sonicbloom ‎: Time Control (review)

HIROMI — Hiromi's Sonicbloom ‎: Time Control album cover Album · 2007 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
siLLy puPPy
Although HIROMI UEHARA looks like a J-pop star posing on the cover of her first album as “Hiromi's Sonicbloom,” the fact is she is one extremely talented virtuoso piano player who keeps extremely good company with her peers. I am in agreement with everyone else who thinks that this is some of the freshest contemporary jazz-fusion gracing the planet these days. TIME CONTROL is supposedly a concept album about time but since it totally instrumental who would ever know! I guess it's all those time signature changes that not only keep this album bopping and hopping but the entire theme as well.

I see this as an all encompassing celebration of all things jazz with many things prog rock and some classical and avant-garde thrown in for good measure. The brilliance is not only that every member is a virtuoso on their respective instrument but also that the interplay between these musicians is outstanding and impeccable. The trio of HIROMI (piano), Martin Valihora (drums) and Tony Grey (bass) found the addition of David Fiucynski on guitar to add a whole wealth of sounds to the former trio's soundscape. He is a self-described jazz musician who doesn't like to play jazz, so he takes all that jazz training and adds a wealth of funk, microtonal and ethnic inspiration to the mix.

HIROMI started playing piano at the age of 5 and was under the tutelage of Chic Corea so it's no wonder that there is a strong classic 70s jazz-fusion sound as the template here, but how these musicians improvise is where the magic lies on this one. It is thrilling and chilling and there isn't a dull moment on the whole thing. With all this talent it would be wrong to assume that every moment is about trading off solos. There is plenty of nice and slow breathing periods to let the music regenerate its intensity. My first HIROMI experience but certainly not my last.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Izumi Kimura / Barry Guy / Gerry Hemingway : Six Hands Open As One Avant-Garde Jazz
IZUMI KIMURA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Raging Bulgakov Avant-Garde Jazz
SIMON NABATOV
Buy this album from MMA partners
New Start Fusion
TOM KENNEDY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Love Songs Live Avant-Garde Jazz
JOHN ZORN
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Data 21st Century Modern
MATTHEW SHIPP
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

The Peacocks
ANTOINE DRYE
js· 96 minutes ago
??·??·?·???·?·????
SADAO WATANABE
snobb· 21 hours ago
"Miles Between" // by Shawn Schlogel & Nancy Erickson Lamont
NANCY ERICKSON LAMONT
js· 1 day ago
Mature Hybird Talking
FRANK GRATKOWSKI
js· 3 days ago
Perspective (Peace & Love)
ISAIAH COLLIER
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed