Hiromi Uehara

"The Trio Project" redirects here; not to be confused with Project Trio.

Hiromi Uehara (上原 ひろみ, Uehara Hiromi), often known mononymously as Hiromi, is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist. 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.^[1] In 2021, she performed at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.^[2]

Hiromi
Uehara performing in Warsaw, 2013
Background information
Origin	Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instrument(s)	Piano, keyboard, synthesizers
Years active	1996-present
Labels	Telarc International
Website	hiromimusic.com

Biography

Uehara was born in Hamamatsu, Japan.^[3] She started learning piano at the age of six and was introduced to jazz by her piano teacher Noriko Hikida when she was eight.^[1][4] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Early Career

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.^[5] There, she was mentored by Ahmad Jamal and had already signed with jazz label Telarc before her graduation.

The Trio Project

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: Voice (2011), Move (2012), Alive (2014), and Spark (2016).^[6] Move and Alive both charted inside the top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Jazz Album charts, while Spark reached the number one position.^[7]

Instruments

In a 2010 interview, Uehara said she plays the Yamaha CFIII-S concert grand piano, Nord Lead 2, Clavia Nord Electro 2 73, Clavia Nord Stage Piano, and Korg microKORG.^[8]

Personal life

Uehara married Japanese fashion designer Mihara Yasuhiro in 2007. They met after she performed at one of his fashion shows in Milan the year before.^[9]

Discography

Studio albums

• Another Mind (Telarc Jazz, 2003) – rec. 2002
• Brain (Telarc Jazz, 2004) – rec. 2003
• Spiral (Telarc Jazz, 2006) – rec. 2005
• Hiromi's Sonicbloom, Time Control (Telarc Jazz, 2007) – rec. 2006
• Hiromi's Sonicbloom, Beyond Standard (Telarc Jazz, 2008)
• Place to Be (Telarc Jazz, 2009)
• The Trio Project, Voice (Telarc Jazz, 2011)
• The Trio Project, Move (Telarc Jazz, 2012)
• The Trio Project, Alive (Telarc Jazz, 2014)
• The Trio Project, Spark (Telarc Jazz, 2016)
• Spectrum (Telarc Jazz, 2019)
• Hiromi The Piano Quintet, Silver Lining Suite (Telarc Jazz, 2021)
• Hiromi's Sonicwonder, Sonicwonderland (Telarc Jazz, 2023)

Live albums

• Hiromi's Sonicbloom Live in Concert (2007)[DVD-Video]
• Duet [ja; fr] with Chick Corea (Stretch, 2008)[2CD] - live rec. 2007 at Blue Note Tokyo
• Hiromi Live in Concert (2009)[DVD-Video] – rec. 2005
• Duet with Chick Corea (2009)[DVD-Video] - rec. 2007. released in Japan only.
• Solo Live at Blue Note New York (2011) - rec. 2010 at Blue Note Jazz Club
• The Trio Project, Hiromi: Live in Marciac (2012)[DVD-Video]
• Move: Live in Tokyo (2014)[DVD-Video]

Other appearances

• The Stanley Clarke Trio featuring Hiromi and Lenny White, Jazz in the Garden (Heads Up, 2009)
• Flashback, Triangle Soundtrack (BMG Japan, 2009)
• Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Goldfingers (cutting edge, 2010)^[10]
• The Stanley Clarke Band featuring Hiromi, The Stanley Clarke Band (Heads Up, 2010) - in "No Mystery", "Larry Has Traveled 11 Miles and Waited a Lifetime for the Return of Vishnu's Report", "Labyrinth" and "Sonny Rollins"
• Akiko Yano and Hiromi, Get Together – Live in Tokyo (Universal, 2011)
• Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Walkin' (cutting edge, 2012)
• Kelly Peterson, Oscar, With Love (Two Lions, 2015) - reissued (Mack Avenue, 2017) in "Take Me Home' and 'Oscar's New Camera"^[11]
• Akiko Yano and Hiromi, Ramen-na Onnatachi (Universal, 2017)
• Hiromi & Edmar Castañeda, Live in Montreal (Telarc, 2017)^[12]

Filmography

• Blue Giant (Music, 2023)^[13]