Hiromi & Hiromi's Sonicwonder

Biography

Hiromi Uehara, known professionally as Hiromi, was born on March 26, 1979, in Hamamatsu, Japan. She began piano lessons at age six with teacher Noriko Hikida, who introduced her to jazz through artists like Erroll Garner and Oscar Peterson, and taught her to interpret music intuitively using colors. By age 14, she performed with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and at 17, she met Chick Corea in Tokyo and played with him the next day. After writing jingles for companies like Nissan, she enrolled at Berklee College of Music in 1999, where she was mentored by Ahmad Jamal, graduating in 2003 with her debut album Another Mind, which went gold in Japan.[1][2][3][4]

Hiromi's career evolved through innovative ensembles, starting with Hiromi's Sonicbloom in 2006 featuring bassist Tony Grey, drummer Martin Valihora, and guitarist David Fiuczynski, releasing albums like Time Control and Beyond Standard. She formed the Trio Project in 2011 with Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips, producing acclaimed works such as Move, Alive, and the chart-topping Spark. In 2023, she launched Hiromi's Sonicwonder with bassist Hadrien Feraud, drummer Gene Coye, and trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, debuting with Sonicwonderland. Her style fuses jazz, fusion, progressive rock, classical, and pop, marked by virtuosic piano, energetic improvisation, and genre-blending compositions. She won a Grammy in 2011 with the Stanley Clarke Band and performed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening in 2021.[1][3][4][7]

Hiromi's legacy includes global festival appearances at Montreux, Newport, and Umbria Jazz, critical praise from The New York Times and NPR, and a prolific output of over a dozen albums. Her boundary-pushing approach continues to influence jazz fusion, with recent projects like the Blue Giant soundtrack and ongoing tours with Sonicwonder.[2][5][7]

Fun Facts

• Hiromi's piano teacher Noriko Hikida used colored pencils to color musical symbols, teaching her to think of music in terms of colors and emotions rather than just notes.
• At age 17, Hiromi met Chick Corea by chance in Tokyo and was invited to play with him at his concert the very next day.
• She wrote jingles for Nissan and other Japanese companies before Berklee, marking her first regular compositions for instruments beyond piano.
• Hiromi performed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in 2021 and her 2023 NPR Tiny Desk Concert has over 2 million YouTube views.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Noriko Hikida - childhood piano teacher who introduced her to jazz and taught intuitive, color-based music interpretation (early training) [1985-1990s]
• Ahmad Jamal - Berklee mentor and co-producer of debut album (Another Mind (2003)) [1999-2003]
• Chick Corea - jazz icon who invited her to perform at age 17 (Tokyo concert collaboration) [1996]
• Richard Evans - Berklee mentor and jazz bassist who shared her demo with Ahmad Jamal (Another Mind (2003)) [1999-2003]

Key Collaborators

• Tony Grey - bassist in Hiromi's Sonicbloom (Time Control (2006), Beyond Standard (2008)) [2006-2008]
• Martin Valihora - drummer in Hiromi's Sonicbloom (Time Control (2006), Beyond Standard (2008)) [2006-2008]
• David Fiuczynski - guitarist in Hiromi's Sonicbloom (Time Control (2006), Beyond Standard (2008)) [2006-2008]
• Anthony Jackson - contrabass guitarist in Trio Project and guest on earlier album (Voice (2011), Move (2012), Alive (2014), Spark (2016)) [2004-2016]
• Simon Phillips - drummer in Trio Project (Voice (2011), Move (2012), Alive (2014), Spark (2016)) [2011-2016]
• Hadrien Feraud - bassist in Hiromi's Sonicwonder (Sonicwonderland (2023)) [2023-present]
• Gene Coye - drummer in Hiromi's Sonicwonder (Sonicwonderland (2023)) [2023-present]
• Adam O’Farrill - trumpeter in Hiromi's Sonicwonder (Sonicwonderland (2023)) [2023-present]
• Stanley Clarke Band - Grammy-winning collaboration (Stanley Clarke Band (2010)) [2010]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia