New Album Release from Hiromi 'OUT THERE' on Telarc / Concord Jazz / Concord #jazz #music

Hiromi’s many career triumphs include: * GRAMMY Award for a collaboration with fusion hero Stanley Clarke * NPR Tiny Desk Concert with over 2 million views * Representing her native Japan with a performance at the 2021 Summer Olympics * 2024 winner for Best Music Score for animated feature film Blue Giant (Award of the Japanese Academy) Her artistry is — to borrow a descriptor The New Yorker favored — “dazzling."   Recent / Upcoming Visibility Includes: NPR's Jazz Night In America KEXP session WBGO interview Rick Beato interview CBC Q, Stereogum, Downbeat, Glide, and more Facebook Artist Of The Day (today!) Spotify: State of Jazz (cover), BUTTER (2 tracks), X-OVER, Modern Jazz, Jazz Fusion, New Music Friday Amazon: The Pocket (cover), Jazz&B, Upbeat Jazz Commute, Jazz Commute, The Pocket, REDISCOVER Apple Music: Shapeshifting, Jazz Scene, J-Jazz Essentials, New Music Daily Pandora: Jazz for Work, Horizons: Tomorrow's Jazz, New Jazz Now Tidal: Out There: Best New Jazz (cover), Vocal Jazz   Be part of Hiromi's #YESRAMEN trend HERE US Tour starts TODAY   Twenty years in, there is no other pianist out there that sounds quite like Hiromi. Today, Hiromi continues her shapeshifting tradition with the release of her 13th studio album ‘OUT THERE’ (Telarc/Concord Jazz), 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 furthering her 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.   Watch New Video for Album Highlight “Yes! Ramen!!” Watch Hiromi and Sonicwonder Perform Live at Blue Note Tokyo   Already, Hiromi and Sonicwonder have shared two previews from the album, the ‘80s Miles Davis channeling earworm “Balloon Pop” and the ballad-to-midtempo jazz song “Pendulum” kissed by sensual neo-soul. Today, album highlight “Yes! Ramen!!” gets its very own video which sees Hiromi exploring Japan and enjoying some of her favorite ramen spots along the way. The track is a tribute to Hiromi’s all-time-favorite food and another wild ride boasting synth hooks, ska-tinged rhythms, revved-up disco beats, a big Black Sabbath-sounding riff, leading-edge jazz improvisation, contemporary classical and more. 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,” says Hiromi on the song. “When the landscape changes, then different music comes in — different restaurant, different style. Ramen is a true source of inspiration and I respect the ramen artisans so much so I finally wrote a song about it.”   Tonight, Hiromi’s Sonicwonder kicks off a string of US tour dates with a special album release show at the Blue Note on Monday, April 7th in NYC, and more.  See below for the full itinerary and revisit her performance 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 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.

US Headlining Tour 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 Fri, AUG 1 - Sony Hall - New York, NY Sat, AUG 2 - Sony Hall - New York, NY Sun, AUG 3 - Newport Jazz Festival - Newport, RI Sat, AUG 30 - Detroit Jazz Festival - Detroit, MI Fri, SEP 26 - Music Center At Strathmore - Bethesda, MD Thurs, OCT 2 - Wisconsin Union Theater - Madison, WI Fri, OCT 10 - Cahn Auditorium - Evanston, IL Sun, OCT 12 - Curtis M. Philips Center For The Performing Arts - Gainesville, FL   MORE INFO ON HIROMI: Website - Press Kit - YouTube - Facebook -Instagram -Twitter/X - TIKTOK

Get It Now!

# Artist and Track Title Time 1. Hiromi - Yes! Ramen!! [Feat. Sonicwonder] 08:14 2. Hiromi - Pendulum [Feat. Sonicwonder, Michelle Willis] 05:57 3. Hiromi - XYZ [Feat. Sonicwonder] 06:56 4. Hiromi - OUT THERE: Takin' Off [Feat. Sonicwonder] 06:33 5. Hiromi - OUT THERE: Strollin' [Feat. Sonicwonder] 06:43 6. Hiromi - OUT THERE: Orion [Feat. Sonicwonder] 08:10 7. Hiromi - OUT THERE: The Quest [Feat. Sonicwonder] 08:11 8. Hiromi - Pendulum - Solo [Feat. Sonicwonder] (Solo) 06:19 9. Hiromi - Balloon Pop [Feat. Sonicwonder] 06:18

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Multi-instrumental entertainer Brian Culbertson takes viewers on a captivating journey via "The Trilogy Tour: Live from Detroit" #jazz #music

Multi-instrumental entertainer Brian Culbertson takes viewers on a captivating journey via “The Trilogy Tour: Live from Detroit,” a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray and two-disc CD dropping on April 11.

 

There are very few touring jazz artists capable of putting on the kind of elaborate, visually stunning, and wildly entertaining concert productions that Brian Culbertson creates. The multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer who has crafted forty Billboard No. 1 hits spent two years writing and recording music with the help of the fans who tuned in to his weekly online series, The Hang, which resulted in the creation of thirty new songs spread out over three new albums to form The Trilogy. After each of the three themed albums were released, Culbertson mounted The Trilogy Tour, a 70-show U.S. concert trek that was filmed and will be released as “The Trilogy Tour: Live from Detroit” in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on April 11 from BCM Entertainment.       

 

The Trilogy Tour featured songs from the three albums, “The Trilogy: Red,” “The Trilogy: Blue,” and “The Trilogy: White,” along with some of Culbertson’s chart-topping hits and fan favorites. The concert itself, as seen in the film directed by Robert Hubbard, is an artfully staged and meticulously choreographed production illumined by state-of-the-art lighting design and visual effects that transform the show into a sensory experience. Always a high-voltage entertainer, Culbertson and his super tight seven-piece band bring the seventeen-song setlist to life with vibrant melodies and lush harmonies, funky rhythms and grooves, and extended solos. All the magic from the final tour stop at Detroit’s MotorCity Casino fills the screen, taking viewers on a journey through “The Trilogy.”

 

“The Trilogy Tour: Live from Detroit” will be launched at two premiere events. This Sunday (April 6), the film will premiere at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts presented by The Boscov’s Theater during the Berks Jazz Fest in Reading, Pennsylvania. The movie will then premiere during a livestream event on VEEPS on April 10 at 8pm ET/7pm CT/5pm PT.

 

The idea to shoot his third concert film came to Culbertson during The Trilogy Tour rehearsals and after the first few shows.

 

“I knew the visual was going to be something special. I try to make every tour special of course, but sometimes certain things and the music push a particular tour into another space that makes it more obvious to film. It needs to be different than a regular ‘the hits concert,’ which is just a random set of songs. This show has more of an arc and story to it,” said Culbertson, about the project that will also be available as a two-disc CD.

 

The Trilogy Tour launched in March 2023 in Providence, Rhode Island and concluded in Detroit in March 2024. A consummate performer who constantly raises the bar, Culbertson never stopped fine-tuning the show, which is why the last concert stop was the one preserved on film.

 

“I wanted to capture the last show because I used all the other shows coming up to it to continue rehearsing and making tweaks, either musical or lighting wise. I will always take as much time as possible to finish a project based on a deadline, and that final show gave me a hard deadline,” laughs Culbertson whose previous concert video releases are “Colors of Love Tour: Live in Las Vegas” (2019) and “Live from the Inside” (2009).

 

With Culbertson playing keyboards and trombone, he was accompanied on The Trilogy Tour by Darnell “Showcase” Taylor (guitar), Eddie Miller (keyboards and vocals), Chris Miskel (drums and musical director), Rishon Odel (bass), Michael “Patches” Stewart (trumpet and flugelhorn), Ronnie Gutierrez (percussion), and Walter English III (keyboards and vocals).   

 

After recording his 1994 chart-topping debut album, “Long Night Out,” in his college dorm, Culbertson became a consistent Billboard hitmaker. His now 28-album catalogue boasts a variety of recordings consisting of contemporary jazz, funk, acoustic jazz, and new age projects. His next studio album, “Day Trip,” which he describes as having “more of a jazz fusion edge,” is expected in late September. The ten-song set that he wrote with Nicholas Cole in seven days features Branford Marsalis, Randy Brecker, Marcus Miller, Sheila E., Mike Stern, Kirk Whalum, Paul Jackson Jr., and Eric Marienthal along with a rhythm section formed by bassist Nathan East and drummers Lil’ John Roberts and Lenny Castro.

 

Culbertson wasn’t planning to make an album when the songs that comprise The Trilogy were composed and recorded.

 

“I was writing new music while livestreaming on ‘The Hang,’ getting real-time feedback from fans via the chat. Before I knew it, I had thirty new songs that fit three distinctive emotional categories. The ‘Red’ album is very sexy and romantic. ‘Blue’ is melancholy, and the music lifts you up when life gets hard. The songs on ‘White” are uplifting and hopeful,” explained Culbertson about the albums released between October 2021 and May 2022.

 

Culbertson’s creative vision for The Trilogy Tour was for the show to be an immersive sensory experience of sound and light. His vision is vividly realized on “The Trilogy Tour: Live from Detroit.” 

 

“The phrase that everyone kept saying to me was ‘that was an experience.’ From the band at rehearsals, to the fans at the first several shows and beyond, that phrase was repeated over and over. The Trilogy Tour is not just a regular show. It truly is an experience, both musically and visually, that takes the audience on a journey. I’m glad that the film will enable people to experience that journey whenever they want to.” 

 

The songs performed during “The Trilogy Tour: Live from Detroit” are:

 

“Prelude”

“Stars”

“Summer Hideaway”

“The Hangout”

“Sandcastles”

“Time Flies”

“Feel The Love”

“Let’s Go”

“Always Remember”

“Eyes Closed”

“Dance With Me Tonight”

“A Love Lost”

“You Are My Everything”

“Colors Of Love”

“Funkin’ Like My Father”

“Play That Funky Music”

“On My Mind”

“Stars (reprise)”

 

 

Watch a preview of “The Trilogy Tour: Live from Detroit” at Brian Culbertson "Stars" Preview - The Trilogy Tour (Live from Detroit).

 

 

To buy tickets to the premiere at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, go to https://goggleworks.org/event/brian-culbertson-the-trilogy-tour-live-concert-film/.

 

 

To attend the virtual premiere on VEEP, click HERE.

 

 

For more information, visit https://www.brianculbertson.com. 

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Pianist/Composer to release "High Standards," the first of four distinct new albums over the next year #jazz #music

Pianist/Composer Ted Rosenthal to release "High Standards,"

the first of four distinct new albums over the next year,

"Trio in 4 Acts"

(TMR Music)

Ted Rosenthal - Piano

Martin Wind / Noriko Ueda - Bass

Tim Horner / Quincy Davis - Drums

Release Date: March 21st, 2025

Video: Ted Rosenthal Trio: Rhapsody in Jazz, George Gershwin Birthday Celebration September 26th, 2024 - Birdland - NYC

"Rosenthal is a pianist of rarest skill, weaving rapid single note lines that span out into rich chordal patterns, parallel octaves and hints of the blues" - Leonard Feather, Los Angeles Times “There aren't many modern jazz pianists more dexterous than Mr. Rosenthal.” - Nate Chinen, New York Times “A musician's musician who balances technique and taste.”  - The New Yorker

About the Recording Trios in 4 Acts is a collection of 4 releases with my 2 working trios, all recorded in the summer of 2024. This first release, "High Standards" is a collection of standards I've been performing over the last few years. I love taking familiar music and finding new and creative ways to arrange and present it. The mix of the familiar with the surprising and unexpected is a great combination and fits the jazz improvisational spirit.   These standards come from different eras. Lover Man and Skylark are classic standards that are always worth revisiting. Everything Happens to Me and It Could Happen to You are two I love to play and make a good pairing with their evocative titles! Standards from the later Broadway period are less often played in jazz, but I loved arranging and "working out" on Jet Song, Old Devil Moon, To Life, and One. These arrangements all have rhythmic twists and turns that continue to sound fresh and keep us on our toes. The Cup Bearers concludes the set - a jazz standard played by many of my jazz piano heroes. I can't say enough about my trio partners, Martin, Tim, Noriko and Quincy. They all bring their sensitivity, support, virtuosity and swing to add many dimensions to the music. They are wonderful musical partners! - Ted Rosenthal, January, 2025, New York

About Ted Rosenthal Ted Rosenthal is one of the leading jazz pianist/composers of his generation.  He actively tours worldwide with his trio, as a soloist, and has performed with many jazz greats, including Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, and James Moody. Winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, Rosenthal has released fifteen CDs as a leader. Rhapsody in Gershwin, which features his arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue for jazz trio, reached #1 in jazz album sales at iTunes and Amazon. Wonderland, was selected as a New York Times holiday pick, and received much critical praise: “Sleek, chic and elegant” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune.  Impromptu, showcases his reimaginings of classical themes for jazz trio.  "A serious listen to Impromptu will be a mind-changing experience...sit back and enjoy these wonderfully creative takes on ten compositions from the classical canon that have never sounded so cool."  - Elliott Simon, AllAboutJazz Rosenthal’s solo album, The 3 B's, received 4 stars from DownBeat magazine.  It features music of Bud Powell, Bill Evans and his improvisations on Beethoven themes.  “In Rosenthal's hands all this music sounds as though it sprang from the same muse, and that's the sign of a skilled, imaginative artist.”  - David R. Adler, All Music Guide.   A recipient of three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Rosenthal regularly performs and records his compositions, which include jazz tunes and large-scale works. Rosenthal’s jazz opera, “Dear Erich,” was commissioned and premiered by New York City Opera in 2019. “Dear Erich” attracted much press and critical acclaim: "Compelling...tells a true, wrenching story. Rosenthal's score conveys regret and fragility, with scenes that invite real breakout jazz" – A. Tomassini, New York Times.  "Leaves the listener ready to explode with applause" - D. Salazar, Opera Wire. Since the premiere, Rosenthal has presented more than a dozen concert performances of "Dear Erich," both in the US and Europe. Rosenthal has also been commissioned by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre. "The Survivor," his concerto for piano and orchestra, has been performed by the Manhattan Jazz Philharmonic and the Rockland Symphony Orchestra, with Rosenthal at the piano. Rosenthal premiered his second jazz piano concerto, “Jazz Fantasy,” with The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony. Rosenthal was artistic director of Jazz at the Riverdale Y and Jazz at Dicapo Theatre, both in New York City.  He has also performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and Jon Faddis and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band.  In addition, Rosenthal has been the pianist of choice for many top jazz vocalists including Helen Merrill, Ann Hampton Callaway, Kurt Elling and Barbara Cook.  He appeared on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio and performed with David Sanborn on NBC's Night Music. Rosenthal's orchestral performances include solo and featured appearances with The Detroit Symphony, The Phoenix Symphony The Boston Pops, The Grand Rapids Symphony, The Rochester Philharmonic, The Pittsburgh Symphony and The Fort Worth Symphony. Rosenthal performed Gershwin's Concerto in F and Rhapsody in Blue for the opening concert of the 92nd Street Y's 2015-16 season. The New York Times called his playing "notable both for its flair and languid, sultry expressive gestures." In 2014 Rosenthal performed Rhapsody in Blue at Town Hall in a concert celebrating the 90th anniversary of its premiere and gave many performances of Rhapsody in 2024 celebrating the 100th anniversary. Rosenthal received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. Active in jazz education, he is on the faculties of The Juilliard School, and Manhattan School of Music, where he also served on their Board of Trustees and received the Presidential Medal for Distinguished Faculty Service. Rosenthal has taught and mentored many of the leading jazz pianists of the younger generation. He presents jazz clinics throughout the world, often in conjunction with his touring.   He was a contributing editor for Piano and Keyboard magazine and has published piano arrangements and feature articles for Piano Today, The Piano Stylist and The Juilliard Journal. Ted Rosenthal is a Steinway Artist. His website is www.tedrosenthal.com

Ted Rosenthal Website

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