From time to time, my wife and I swing by our old college campus theater to enjoy a little culture at the alumni rate. While doing so in late February, we received an exceptional bang for our buck thanks to jazz pianist and composer Hiromi Uehara.
We were told she was a bundle of energy that practically leaps from her bench mid-song without any warning, but still we were not prepared. She strolled onto the stage quietly and politely; then proceeded to burn up the ivories with some of the fastest keystrokes possible. A wide grin spread across her face as she grooved to the melodies flowing from her mind to the piano via her fingertips. At times she would literally spring from her bench, and then reach into the guts of the piano and pluck the wires directly. It was an exhilarating show start to finish.
As much energy as Hiromi exerts, it's no surprise that she has songs dedicated to her favorite foods; cream puffs and Cape Cod chips. I hoped to capture that feeling with my mood music selection. Ultimately I chose Sakura, Sakura; a song she did not perform at NCSU's Center Stage. It's a great video because it captures some great close-ups of her playing and her exultation while playing:
Now that's good stuff! FYI, Hiromi's birthday is next week (March 26th) so get those bags of Cape Cod chips packed up and shipped. I'd hate for her to receive them late!
She is easily one of my favourite musicians. I have all her albums, and contemplated traveling to London to see her live. I'd seriously love to see her perform in concert, her music is astonishing.
ReplyDeleteShe was great live. I had never heard of her until she came to town. I'm very glad to have seen her. I have one cd and the rest are now on my Amazon wishlist.
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