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Hiromi Uehara - Place To Be (2009)

Posted By: Juma
Hiromi Uehara - Place To Be (2009)

Hiromi Uehara - Place To Be
mp3 @ 320 bps | jpeg of front cover | ~154 MB (2 files)
Genre: Jazz, Piano solo | Label: Telarc | Year: 2009

The young pianist's sixth album starts off with her trademark virtuosity of fingers flying across the piano keys, creating a burst of notes that often dazzles. Upon looking up the title, "BQE," I could see what she was aiming for, since I remember as a child all those tiring trips on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. With all but two tracks written by Uehara, she knows what she intends with each song; her liner notes further explain the thinking behind her straightforward titles.

The album is like a short story collection written by a skilled author who can bend the instrument to her will and pull the chords just right to stir emotions. Far from being a showcase of her deftness on piano, the strongest pieces are usually in a slow tempo. "Somewhere" shows a lightness of touch that draws out a wistful, plaintive melody with occasional improvisational flourishes. Her take on Pachelbel's Canon starts as if it were a classical piano recital, but she plays around with the tune so effortlessly that I wondered why no one else had thought of improvising the piece before.

One nonsolo piece appears as a bonus track on the Japanese versions, with singer-songwriter Akiko Yano providing vocals.

The track that combines all of Uehara's best skills is "Island Azores," an arresting song that shows her creativity meld perfectly with a well-crafted melody. Her music — it would be an injustice to classify it — may not be for all ears, but she rewards listeners with a playful passion that is beyond words.

As a soloist, Uehara is at the place where she should be.
Yung-Hsiang Kao, writing in the Japan Times

Tracklist:
01. BQE 5:56
02. Choux à la creme 5:29
03. Sicilian Blue 8:26
04. Bern Baby Bern 2:56
05. Somewhere 5:38
06. Capecod Chips 5:41
07. Islands Azores 4:29
08. Pachelbel's Canon 5:22
09. Viva! Vegas: Show City, SHow Girl 3:56
10. Viva! Vegas: Daytime in Las Vegas 4:30
11. Viva! Vegas: The Gambler 5:37
12. Place To Be 6:39
13. Green Tea Farm (Bonus Track) 4:09

Hiromi Uehara piano
Akiko Yano vocals (on track 13)

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