Hiromi | Artist

Hiromi Uehara is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist born 1979 in Hamamatsu, Japan. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blending of musical genres such as stride, post-bop, progressive rock, classical, nu jazz and fusion in her compositions. She started learning piano at the age of six and was introduced to jazz by her piano teacher Noriko Hikida when she was eight. At age 14, she played with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. When she was 17 years old, she met Chick Corea by chance in Tokyo and was invited to play with him at his concert the next day. After being a jingle writer for a few years for Japanese companies such as Nissan, she enrolled to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. There, she was mentored by Ahmad Jamal and had already signed with jazz label Telarc before her graduation, releasing the album Another Mind in 2003. That album was a huge hit in Japan and was named Jazz Album of the Year by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. After graduating from Berklee, Hiromi continued to write, record, and tour, releasing albums Brain (2004) and Spiral (2006). In 2006, she formed the group Hiromi's Sonicbloom with bassist Tony Grey, drummer Martin Valihora, and guitarist David Fiuczynski, subsequently releasing albums Time Control (2006) and Beyond Standard (2008) with the group. In 2011, Hiromi won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album as part of the Stanley Clarke Band. Uehara's Trio Project brought together Anthony Jackson, who was previously a guest on the Brain album, and drummer Simon Phillips. The group made four albums together, of which Move (2012) and Alive (2014) both charted inside the top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Jazz Album charts, while Spark (2016) reached the number one position. Standout albums include Spiral (2006), Time Control (2007), Voice (2011), Move (2012), Alive (2014) and the movie soundtrack Blue Giant (2023). Uehara married Japanese fashion designer Mihara Yasuhiro in 2007, whom she met after performing at one of his fashion shows in Milan the year before. In 2021, Hiromi performed at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Artist Website: hiromiuehara.com

Featured Albums: Hiromi

Related Artists: Sonicbloom, The Trio Project