Hiromi Dives Deep into Synth with New Band on Sonicwonderland Out Today, Santa Cruz Show October 10
Hiromi’s electrifying new project Sonicwonderland represents a new musical adventure for the constantly evolving pianist and composer, who is a star in her native Japan and burst onto the music scene 20 years ago with her debut album.
Out October 6th on Telarc, the album was recorded with a new quartet, called Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, and features 9 new works bursting with synthesizer and deep-in-the-pocket grooves. Hiromi dazzles at the keyboard, striking a balance of playing that is powerful, aggressive and delicate.
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder features Hadrien Feraud (bass), Gene Coye (drums) and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). The album features all original pieces, some of the themes of which were first written as part of her One Minute Portrait series that she hosted during the pandemic. One Minute Portraits were livestream collaborations with other artists that included Robert Trujillo and Avishai Cohen.
The Sonicwonderland cover illustration was drawn by Lou Beach, famous for his Weather Report album covers, not to mention Blink 182’s Dude Ranch and albums by Flying Burrito Brothers, Madonna and Weird Al.
The album was recorded in May over 3 days at Skywalker Studios in California. they’ll be performing a select run of shows in October in North America–those in NorCal can catch Hiromi and the quartet at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, CA. Get tickets here.
Meet Hiromi
Sonicwonderland is Hiromi’s 12th studio album. A GRAMMY-winning artist known for her diverse musical explorations, she recently composed the soundtrack for the film Blue Giant, based on a manga series. Her acclaimed work has garnered praise from The New York Times, NPR, the Washington Post, and more. Hiromi performed at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in 2021 and collaborated with jazz icons like Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, and Ahmad Jamal. She’s a perennial favorite in DownBeat’s Critics Poll and a fixture at top jazz festivals worldwide.
Hiromi also just made her Tiny Desk debut, with over half a million views on YouTube in just a few days, and features two songs from this album with her new band.
