Meet Tim Seiser
Hiromi Uehara is one of the leading voices on the jazz/fusion music
scene today. Her trio, featuring Tony Grey on bass and Martin
Valihora on drums, has been working together for about 5 years now and
it shows in their high level of communication and interplay thru
Hiromi's music. This level of band cohesiveness is on full
display in both of Hirmoi's two new DVD releases,
"Hiromi: Live In Concert" and "Hiromi's Sonicbloom: Live In Concert".
The first of these new DVD's I watched, "Hiromi's Sonicbloom: Live In
Concert", is the aforementioned trio performing with guest guitarist
David Fiuczynski. The majority of the songs from this live
performance are from Hiromi's 2007 album entitled "Time Control".
I own "Time Control" and had it in pretty heavy listening rotation last
summer, so I was very excited to see what a live performance of the
material would entail. The compositions and arrangements closely
resemble the album versions but there is much more risk taking and room
for interplay amongst the group during the solo sections and free form
improvisation sections. The biggest surprise for me in watching
this DVD was the guitar playing by Fiuczynski. I will admit that
when I first heard the album, I was not the biggest fan of his
playing. However, after watching this DVD, it is clear that
Fiuczynski is the real deal. His soloing is always explorative
and original, yet always in the pocket and grooving. Tony and
Martin are as tight of a bass player/drummer combo I have heard.
Hiromi gives Tony ample solo time and he always makes the most of it,
showcasing his unique solo voice. The fifth and sixth songs on
the DVD, "Note from the Past" and "Double Personality" are not
performed on "Time Control" but keep within the same vibe and overall
feel. It was definitely a treat for me as a listener to hear this
new material. Next, the program returns back to "Time Control"
material with the hard grooving song "Time Out" (my favorite cut from
the album). The band is in top form by this point in the concert
and is obviously enjoying playing with each other. Fiuczynski
even manages to get the notoriously uptight Japanese audience up out of
their seats and dancing. The encore is a classic Hiromi tune
entitled "Return of the Kung-Fu World Champion". Originally
performed by the trio, this song also greatly benefits from the
addition of the guitar. This concert is fusion at it's best;
creative solos, in depth compositions, plenty of energy and four
extremely talented musicians equally sharing the spotlight.
The second of the two DVD's, "Hiromi: Live In Concert", features the trio on it's own.
This concert features material from Hiromi's CD "Spiral". The
performance takes on a much different tone from the "Time Control"
concert. The band is a little more subdued and the overall feel
is more like a classical music performance than a raucous jazz/fusion
concert. The band doesn't waste anytime though, getting right
into some interesting interplay with the title track from the CD
"Spiral". The trio setting really gives Tony a chance to shine,
both in the sideman role and in more of a leader/soloist role.
The second and third tunes more or less share the same feel, sound and
structure as many of Hiromi's other compositions and are not the bands
strongest numbers of the night. However, once the band
launches into the epic "Music for Three Piece Orchestra" it is obvious
they are warmed up and in peak form. This is the highlight of the
this concert and it is nothing short of mesmerizing to watch these
three musicians perform this extremely challenging music
flawlessly. The band nails all four sections of "Music for Three
Piece Orchestra" and proves to the listener that these are some of the
most talented young musicians around today. For the final regular
performance of the night the band plays "Love and Laughter", another
grooving tune with the now very distinct Hiromi touch. Just when
you think the night is over, they launch into an encore; a blazing
Latin version of "Dancando No Paraiso". It is an appropriate way
to end a very riveting concert.
Both of these concerts are filmed very tastefully and the camera work
is stellar. The audio seems to be a little on the quite side and
really seems to shine thru an external speaker system or a good pair of
headphones as opposed to computer speakers.
Hiromi's trio has seemed to defy the traditional viewpoint that fusion
bands cannot work consistently and do not play to large
audiences. Both of these concerts are played to sold-out Japanese
audiences in huge performance venues. As I mentioned before, this
band has been working as a unit for quite awhile now and it really
shows on both of these DVD's. For anybody looking to check out
some gripping jazz/fusion, I highly suggest checking out one, or both,
of these DVD's. The musicianship is always showcased maturely and
tastefully. The music never dives into the usual fusion
"chops-fest" showcase and the compositions are always interesting and
at many points, awe inspiring.
