For over more than 20 years as a recording artist, the pianist and composer Hiromi has shifted seamlessly from one spellbinding project to the next. In the process, she’s earned a reputation as one of the most explosive live performers in jazz history and a global ambassador for the art form. Today Hiromi has announced her 13th studio album ‘OUT THERE’ (out April 4 / Telarc). ‘OUT THERE’ is her second album with Sonicwonder, a mighty new quartet featuring Hadrien Feraud on bass, Gene Coye on drums, and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet.
‘OUT THERE’ is the follow-up to 2023’s ‘Sonicwonderland,’ the debut of one of the most expressive and versatile working bands of Hiromi’s career (just watch their NPR Tiny Desk, which rapper Action Bronson deemed “the best Tiny Desk ever”). This new group furthered Hiromi’s distinctive musical alchemy: the spirit of classic jazz-rock fusion melded with classically rooted virtuosity, entrancing funk, pop flourishes, and acoustic jazz. ‘OUT THERE’ captures their deep chemistry and fearless sense of interplay amid nearly two years of touring and playing together. Hiromi invites you to buckle up, for a fun, thoughtful, and wild musical ride.
Listen to “Balloon Pop”
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Watch Hiromi’s Sonicwonder perform “Balloon Pop” Live at Blue Note Tokyo
Says Hiromi: “On Sonicwonderland, I had the concept and the songs first, and I was looking for the people who could play the music in the ideal way that I had in my mind. Being with this group for well over a year,” she continues, “playing a lot of shows together and understanding each other, I started to see more of their strength and what shines in them the most. So I started to write music with them in mind.”
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder brings together world-class musicians of diverse backgrounds. French-born Feraud is a fusion virtuoso who has been compared to bass great Jaco Pastorius. Coye hails from Chicago, where he grew up playing in church and combines technical mastery with a soulful knack for groove and pocket. Brooklyn-raised O’Farrill, part of a dynasty that includes his father and grandfather, Latin-jazz titans Arturo and Chico O’Farrill, ranks among his generation's most important and progressive trumpeters. Throughout the album, O’Farrill conjures up audacious new sonic textures through electronics — part of his toolbox that Hiromi encouraged him to develop fully.
“[Bass legend and collaborator] Anthony Jackson always told me that a first-class musician can do anything,” Hiromi says. “You don’t really have to put them in one genre or one category.” Knowing that anything she composed would be met with outstanding performances, Hiromi let her fiercest ambitions run wild when crafting the music for ‘OUT THERE.’ “It all comes from curiosity,” she explains. “I think curiosity is the key to everything. How can you express yourself more? How can you write more?”
The album begins with “XYZ,” a fresh take on the first song that Hiromi ever released, back in 2003. It’s a delirious burner that evokes the avant-garde-leaning Blue Note titles from the ‘60s. “Yes! Ramen!!” is a tribute to Hiromi’s favorite food over synths, revved-up disco beats and a menacing riff. The band shares Hiromi’s love for ramen, especially O’Farrill and Coye, and they try to hit as many spots as possible on tour. “For this song, it was more like putting a soundtrack to the film I had in my head,” she says. “When the landscape changes, then different music comes in — different restaurant, different style.”
The core of ‘OUT THERE’ is its four-part suite, which Hiromi would like fans to hear as a focused front-to-back listen. It opens with the rapid-fire melody of “Takin’ Off” and traverses the sly ’70s fusion grooves of “Strollin’,” which calls to mind Herbie Hancock, George Duke and Grover Washington Jr. “Orion” follows, with bold and triumphant bookends that could score a great work of science fiction. The suite closes with “The Quest,” which unites the chopped-up rhythmic thrust of current jazz with the synth pleasures of vintage prog-rock. The album’s finale is “Balloon Pop,” which is as much of an earworm as anything currently on the Hot 100. And with O’Farrill on trumpet, its hummable theme summons up Miles Davis’ hook-filled ’80s recordings.
Tied to the album’s release, Hiromi’s Sonicwonder will perform concerts at famous venues in Chicago, Toronto, a special album release show at the Blue Note in NYC, and more. See below for the full itinerary. For the artwork, Hiromi has once again tapped the artist Lou Beach, famous for an array of album covers including Blink 182's Dude Ranch and albums by Flying Burrito Brothers, Madonna and Weird Al.
Hiromi’s many career triumphs include an NPR Tiny Desk Concert that has racked up 2 million views; the opportunity to represent her native Japan with a performance at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo; 2024 winner for Best Music Score for the animated feature film Blue Giant (Award of the Japanese Academy); and a GRAMMY Award for a collaboration with fusion hero Stanley Clarke. Her artistry is — to borrow a descriptor the New Yorker favored — “dazzling.”
‘OUT THERE’ TRACKLIST:
XYZ
Yes! Ramen!!
Pendulum (featuring Michelle Willis)
OUT THERE: Takin’ Off
OUT THERE: Strollin’
OUT THERE: Orion
OUT THERE: The Quest
Pendulum
Balloon Pop
HIROMI’s SONICWONDER TOUR DATES:
Fri, APR 4 - Chicago Symphony Center - Chicago, IL
Sat, APR 5 - George Wheaton Recital Hall - Toronto, Canada
Mon, APR 7 - Blue Note - New York, NY
Tue, APR 8 - Dakota - Minneapolis, MN
Wed, APR 9 - Dakota - Minneapolis, MN
Thurs, APR 10 - Fox Tucson Theater - Tucson, AZ
Fri, APR 11 - Scottsdale Center For The Performing Arts - Tucson, AZ
Sat, APR 12 - University of Texas, Dallas - Richardson, TX
Sun, APR 13 - Moore Theatre - Seattle, WA
Tues, APR 15 - Revolution Hall - Portland OR
Thurs, APR 17 - SFJazz - San Francisco, CA
Fri, APR 18 - SFJazz - San Francisco, CA
Sat, APR 19 - SFJazz - San Francisco, CA
Sun, APR 20 - SFJazz - San Francisco, CA
Mon, APR 21 - Kuumbwa Jazz Center - Santa Cruz, CA
Thurs, APR 24 - Irvine Barclay Theater - Irvine, CA
Fri, APR 25 - Campbell Hall - Santa Barbara, CA
Thurs, MAY 15 - Sanat Concert Hall - Istanbul, Istanbul
Fri, MAY 16 - Georg Friedrich Händel - Halle, Germany
Sat, MAY 17 - Philharmonie Essen - Essen, Germany
Mon, MAY 19 - Volkshaus Basel - Basel, Switzerland
Wed, MAY 21 - STROMWERK Kulturarena Kraftwerk Mitte - Dresden, Germany
Fri, MAY 23 - Isar Philharmonic - München, Germany
Sat, MAY 24 - Telekom Forum - Bonn, Germany
Sun, MAY 25 - Stora Teatern - Gotesborg, Sweden
Wed, MAY 28 - Jazz Sous Les Pommiers - Coutances, France
Wed, OCT 8 - Wisconsin Union Theater - Madison, WI
Wed, Oct 22 - City Recital Hall - Sydney, Australia
Fri, OCT 24 - Octagon Theatre - Perth, Australia
Sun, OCT 26 - Hamer Hall The Arts Centre - Melbourne, Australia
Tues, OCT 28 - Adelaide Town Hall - Adelaide, Australia
Fri, NOV 7 - Muziekgebouw Frits Philips - Eindhoven, Netherlands
Sat, NOV 8 - Rockit Festival, Oosterport Main Hall - Groningen, Netherlands
Mon, NOV 10 - Amare - Den Haag, Netherlands
Tues, NOV 11 - Teatro Fernando Fernan Gomez - Madrid, Spain
Thurs, NOV 13 - Erbenhof Schallkultur Festival - Thüringen, Germany
Wed, NOV 19 - Halle aux Grains - Toulouse, France
Fri, NOV 21 - Barbican Centre - London, England
