Art Hirahara | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 (age 49–50) |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Website | arthirahara.com |
Art Hirahara (born 1971) is an American jazz pianist and composer.
Life and career[edit]
Hirahara started playing the piano at the age of four.[1] He studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the California Institute of the Arts.[2] While at Oberlin, he had jazz lessons with pianist Neal Creque.[1] He has been part of the jazz scene in New York since 2003,[3] after moving there from the San Francisco Bay Area.[2]
Hirahara's debut album, Edge of This Earth, was released in 2000.[4] In 2011 Posi-Tone Records released Hirahara's Noble Path, a trio album with Yoshi Waki (bass), and Dan Aran (drums).[4] His next Posi-Tone album, Libations & Meditations from 2015, was a trio recording with bassist Linda Oh (bass) and drummer John Davis.[5][3]
His album Central Line was released in January 2017.His music video for Brooklyn Express was the winner at the Audio Shoot International Video & Film Festival, the Queen City Film Festival, and the Raleigh Film and Art Festival, all in 2019.[6]
Playing style[edit]
According to Nate Chinen at The New York Times, Hirahara "brings a broad base of knowledge to his enterprise: electronic composition, West African music, Balinese gamelan, [and] multiple strains of the avant-garde".[2]
Discography[edit]
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
As leader/co-leader[edit]
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Edge of This Earth | Art Hirahara | With Bob Kenmotsu (tenor sax), Jeff Alkire (alto sax), Chuck MacKinnon (trumpet), Benjamin Rubin (bass), Jason Lewis (drums) |
| 2011* | Noble Path | Posi-Tone | Trio, with Yoshi Waki (bass), Dan Aran (drums) |
| 2015* | Libations & Meditations | Posi-Tone | Trio, with Linda Oh (bass), John Davis (drums) |
| 2017* | Central Line | Posi-Tone | |
| 2018* | Sunward Bound | Posi-Tone | Most tracks trio, with Linda May Han Oh (bass), Rudy Royston (drums); some tracks quartet, with Donny McCaslin (sax) added |
| 2020* | Balance Point | Posi-Tone | Quartet, with Melissa Aldana (tenor sax), Joe Martin (bass), Rudy Royston (drums)[1] |
| 2021* | Open Sky | Posi-Tone |
As sideman[edit]
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999* | Adam Lane | Hollywood Wedding | Cadence Jazz |
| 2012 | Russ Nolan | Tell Me | |
| 2013* | Sean Nowell | The Kung-Fu Masters | Posi-Tone |
| 2013* | Akira Tana | Otonowa | Vegamusic |
| 2014* | Nick Hempton | Odd Man Out | Posi-Tone |
| 2014* | Tom Tallitsch | Ride | Posi-Tone |
| 2016* | Akira Tana | Stars Across the Ocean | Vegamusic |
| 2019* | Akira Tana | Ai San San – Love's Radiance (愛燦燦) | Vegamusic |
| 2019? | Something Blue | Maximum Enjoyment | Posi-Tone[7] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c West, Michael J. (August 2020). "Collaboration Fuels Hirahara". DownBeat. Vol. 87 no. 8. p. 15.
- ^ a b c Chinen, Nate & Ratliff, Nate (January 5, 2015) "Albums from Art Hirahara and Death Grips". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "Art Hirahara" Archived 2017-08-08 at the Wayback Machine. Posi-Tone Records. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ a b Micallef, Ken (August 2011) "Art Hirahara – Noble Path". Down Beat. p. 70.
- ^ Bilawsky, Dan (December 16, 2014) "Art Hirahara: Libations & Meditations (2014)". AllAboutJazz.
- ^ "arthirahara.com – Art Hirahara jazz pianist and composer". Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ Simms-Burton, Michele L. (April 2019). "Something Blue: Maximum Enjoyment". DownBeat. Vol. 86 no. 4. p. 61.
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