Hiromi

A A A Comments By Rick Mason Wednesday, Jun 17 2009

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Japanese pianist Hiromi Uehara can knock you out with her phenomenal technique, lightning-fast velocity, rhythmic sense, free-flowing compositions that seem to rifle through jazz history and rocket into the stratosphere, and even her renegade interpretive prowess. That last quality surfaced quite dramatically on her most recent album, 2008's Beyond Standard, on which she and her formidable band, Sonicbloom, tackled an eclectic array of standards ranging from Ellington's "Caravan" and Debussy's "Clair de Lune" to Jeff Beck's "Led Boots" and the Japanese song known stateside as "Sukiyaki," thoroughly revising each with maverick blends of bop, avant-garde pop, and raging jazz-rock fusion. Much of the drama comes from the interaction of Hiromi's keyboard and David Fiuczynski's guitar pyrotechnics, although they can also match one another lyrically. Spiky rhythms and abrupt time changes also fascinate Hiromi; both are adroitly handled by drummer Martin Valihora and bassist Tony Grey. The result is exciting, visceral jazz without boundaries. Hiromi will perform with Sonicbloom at the Dakota, shortly before the release of two new performance DVDs: Hiromi Live in Concert, a trio set recorded in Tokyo in 2005, and Hiromi's Sonicbloom Live in Concert, from a 2007 Tokyo show that also included Fiuczynski. $25 at 7 p.m.; $20 at 9:30 p.m.
Mondays, Sundays. Starts: June 21. Continues through June 22, 2009

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What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.