THE TRIO PROJECT: VOICE

This good-looking (sorry if it's sexist to say that!) Japanese keyboardist-composer is said to be one of the latest comets in the jazz world. Here she's teamed with a bassist (Anthony Jackson, plays electric bass) and a drummer I believe many of us know: Simon Phillips, who comes entirely from the rock world as far as I know. Also Hiromi uses electric keyboards here and there, and one can sense some rock in the trio's playing. The term power trio has been used. Hiromi herself is a virtuoso with influences both from classical music and prog such as King Crimson and Frank Zappa (according to her artist info page here). Compositions are Hiromi's except the final track which is an adaption of Beethovens' "Pathetique" Piano Sonata.

Maybe I had some trouble digesting this album. Piano trio is definitely one of my favourite things in jazz, and I also enjoy Fusion. But somehow I prefer to keep them separate. I'm used to hear wider choice of instruments in Fusion (guitar, electric violin, trumpet, whatever), and from a piano trio I expect more delicacy and emotion. That is, while I certainly sensed the power and skill in this trio, the music left me rather cold. It's complex, intense, energetic and at times even fiery. I may want to listen to her other albums with other line-ups, but I admit this particular album didn't become one of my favourites from recent years. However I believe many of those PA readers who listen to jazz too, might want to lend an ear.

This album is great. I like all of Hiromi's albums, but this one, along with her classic album "Time Control", is among the best fusion albums you'll come across this side of the 21st century. Besides the fact that she is a virtuoso pianist, she also knows how to write a tune, catchy melodies, and top that off with some of the best jazz piano playing ever. She does dabble with keyboard sounds on all her albums, this album is no exception. Thing is, don't expect too much, as this is mostly a piano-dominated record, with bass and drums backing her up. But as I said, her piano playing is great, and there are some tracks that are just so beautiful, it may make you cry ;) Cuts like "Temptation" really bring out her soul and contain some gorgeous playing from her.

But this is a fusion album, and the record starts off with the title song, in progressive rock fashion, piano riffs galore. The next track is a reprise of a tune from her other masterpiece album "Time Control", something she's been doing for most of her catalog. So she has the 'rock' mentality for sure, she just doesn't need guitars or keyboard effects to achieve what she needs to. I will admit, I do somewhat miss her quartet that is on Time Control and Beyond Standard, but since this is labeled as a "Trio Project" hopefully they'll return on a future album. Get this album, one of the best modern jazz/fusion albums, and nice to hear such a good album coming out in a year like 2011.

It's funny because Time Control by Hiromi is part of the best, or most important, album in my life but, although Voce is not in there, it's my favorite album of her. Any album that start with a song like Voice deserve to be listen at least once in the life of a prog/jazz fan because, it's so that, meaning, good prog/jazz music, all in one song. Definitely one of the best piece of music Hiromi wrote.

Then comes Flashback, with this king of Emerson riff that is so well executed that it can't be anything but infectious.

The third track on the album, the funky Now or Never, is the first inclution of synth, Nord Lead 2, and although it's only use in the motif that is heard trought the song, it's not out of place, it hadds to the funkyness of the song.

Temptation is one of the most beautiful ballad Hiromi has wrote, a well deserved break from the crazyness of the first 3 songs. The piano solo in that song is nothing sort but of amazing, full of feeling and really shows how emotional Hiromi can be.

Labyrinth had been previously heard on the Stanley Clark Band album. This version, is not so different for the previous version, but more close to the sound of the overall album.

Desire is another funky track with good use of the synth on the rhythm. I like the way she plays funky grooves with some prog riff trown in and mix it with jazz, another good recipes for good music.

Haze is her required solo piece of the album, she always play a solo piece on her album, but usually at the end. Haze is another amazingly emotional ballad. A very beautiful piece.

Delusion is my favorite track on the album, a perfect piece of music, I love you Hiromi :) and to think that she's only in her 30's wow! So much incredible piece of musc and album are awaiting us fans, in the future.

Beethoven's Piano sonata is a strong way to finish the album after the powerful Delusion. I always liked the Pathetique Sonata by Beethoven, so to hear it played Jazz by Hiromi and her trio, is very cool.

In the end, a must have for Jazz, Jazz Rock/Fusion, prog fan. Nothing under 5, definetly a musical masterpiece of the 21st century.

This album saw Hiromi debut her current recording unit, the Trio Project, with Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips joining her on bass and drums respectively. Naturally, the spotlight is largely on Hiromi's piano and keyboard performances. Whilst subsequent albums would have a more prominent progressive rock influence, here it seems scaled back somewhat, the band focusing on delivering what comes across as an ECM-style jazz sound with enough fusion influences to avoid things becoming excessively dry. It's a good listen, but the unit would undertake more ambitious excursions on later albums, and is therefore worth a listen eventually but doesn't need to be your top priority when it comes to exploring Hiromi's work.

Very Musical.

The first official album of her Trio Project with Simon Philips and Anthony Jackson, this is a consistently strong and musical collection. The trio format is, I think, the best for not only showcasing Hiromi's amazing talents, but gives her the freedom to structure her pieces, and with Simon Philips on drums and Anthony Jackson on bass Hiromi is matched in talent. Her keyboard skills are amazing, in terms of sheer speed and complexity, able to string notes together in a highly musical way, and in her abilities to create very different kinds of soundscapes with just a piano (and single synth). This album seems more musical than other albums, I think for a couple of reasons. First of all, her piano is more upfront with more bass response, and second here she is playing with less of a staccato approach, using the sustain pedal more with fewer jarring transitions between parts. Of course, I think many of the latter can also be highly musical, but they can also jarr. Furthermore, the tunes on this album mostly do not seem composed in order to impress for their virtuosity, which one finds on albums like Time Control or Alive, but instead are softer and seem to be written for their sheer musicality. While there are highlights on this album (the title track that opens the album, for instance), they do not stand out as high as the obvious tracks on her previous albums, but there are really no lows, either. (The last track, Hiromi's cover of Beethoven's Pathetique Piano Sonata, for me, doesn't really fit with the rest of the album, although it is excellent on its own terms). Like on earlier albums, Hiromi adds some humour with talking synth lines, but on this album they are not nearly as prominent (mainly a few parts in 'Now or Never' and 'Desire') and they are more embedded into the regular piano lines. While I think her follow-up to this album is her best ('Move'), this album comes close in terms of sheer excellence and musicality. But really, Hiromi's albums are all really high quality. I give this album 8.7 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which translates to high 4 PA stars.