Spiral (Hiromi album)

Spiral is a studio album by jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara with bassist Tony Grey and drummer Martin Valihora. NPR called the album "part classical, part jazz and part simply unclassifiable".^[5]

Spiral
Studio album by Hiromi
Released	January 16, 2006
Recorded	May 28–31, 2005
Studio	Blackbird (Berry Hill, Tennessee)
Genre	Jazz, jazz fusion
Length	65:38 / 73:09 (incl. bonus track)
Label	Telarc
Producer	Hiromi Uehara, Michael Bishop
Hiromi chronology
Brain (2004) Spiral (2006) Time Control (2007)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	[1]
Allmusic	[2]
PopMatters	8/10[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[4]

Reception

Matt Cibula of PopMatters wrote, "Spiral is her third album... This record will be on many people's year-end lists, even if they are not jazz people. Dig it."^[3] Paula Edelstein of AllMusic commented, "With the release of Spiral, the award-winning pianist/composer Hiromi Uehara stands at the threshold of limitless possibility."^[2] Jim Santella of All About Jazz commented "Her piano cascades drive with simple elegance, and she resolves every phrase with a dynamic spirit. She enthralls her audience with powerful rhythmic strides that challenge the intellect. Meters change, moods shift, and her driving force keeps on going. Her improvised romps come alive with foot-tapping and head-bobbing energy that keeps the listener buoyed from start to finish."^[1]

Track listing

All compositions by Hiromi Uehara.

1. Spiral (10:40)
2. Music for Three-Piece Orchestra: Open Door - Tuning - Prologue (10:16)
3. Music for Three-Piece Orchestra: Déjà vu (7:45)
4. Music for Three-Piece Orchestra: Reverse (5:09)
5. Music for Three-Piece Orchestra: Edge (5:19)
6. Old Castle, by the River, in the Middle of the Forest (8:20)
7. Love and Laughter (9:20)
8. Return of Kung-Fu World Champion (Bonus track) (9:39)
9. Big Chill (Japanese edition bonus track) (7:30)

Personnel

• Hiromi Uehara – piano
• Tony Grey – bass
• Martin Valihora – drums