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Some piano players just feel good. Count Basie was a master of subtle humor. Cedar Walton added a unique melodic twist to inventive progressions (and it feels good). Roger Kellaway, Red Garland, Vince Guaraldi and such contemporary players as Geffrey Keezer exemplify an effervescent, forward motion approach that, in contrast to sounding “soulful” or cerebral, simply releases musical endorphins.

Add San Francisco native Art Hirahara to that short list. Moving to New York City in 2003, Hirahara has animated performances by Stacey Kent, Dave Douglas, Vincent Herring, Jenny Scheinman and Fred Ho, among others. Hirahara’s debut, Edge Of This Earth, was released in 2000. So why is Hirahara such a relative secret? His playing is sparkling, as are his compositions. Performed in trio format, Noble Path is loosely straightahead, with quick melodies, and driven by Hirahara’s vivacious playing, which always connects the dots in a flowing way. Hirahara fires the keys, but with a sense of inner calm and a lithe touch, propelling his trio through rubato statements, thoughtful but never melancholic ballads and chunky uptempo swingers that exude improvisation and inspiration. Duke Ellington’s “Isfahan” is playful and luminous, a showcase for Hirahara’s improvisations that span moody lower-register dissonances to childlike twinkles.

Hirahara seems to draw from a bottomless wellspring of ideas, often layering chords to build tension or rolling the entire length of the keyboard in melodic freedom. His playing is consistently compelling, and always swinging.

– Ken Micallef

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Art Hirahara has gained the most notice for his work on saxophonist Fred Ho’s adventurous outings, but the pianist’s own music, while occasionally outward bound, often has a more immediately accessible sound to it. Featuring eight pieces from Hirahara’s pen and four newly arranged classics,Noble Path is a piano trio record that’s both commonplace and unique. The album can seem like a standard trio affair because few pieces veer too far off the road and the material is delivered with polish and panache, but Hirahara’s sense of programming and ability to tap into different ideas at will, and the communicative skills within the trio, all help to elevate this album high above the mundane musical meals that often tend to serve as piano trio outings.

Hirahara expertly covers all of the must-haves on a trio date, including a jazz waltz (“Ebb And Flow”), perky and soulful Brazilian-inspired fare (“Stood Down”), classy (if somewhat forgettable) straightforward swing (“I’m OK”), and enjoyable standards (“All Or Nothing At All” and “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”), but he also pushes the envelope in a few places. He delivers music with a loose and flowing celestial aura (“Peace Unknown”) and explores the darker and scarier side of night music (“Nocturne”) with supreme skill and a fearless attitude.

While the majority of the music focuses in on Hirahara, with drummer Dan Aran and bassist Yoshi Waki providing support and taking a backseat as soloists, that isn’t always the case. The looser numbers tend to be more collaborative affairs, Waki’s work at the outset of “Vast” proves to be the best part of the piece, and both rhythm men trade fours and have a ball on a buoyant take of Billy Strayhorn’s “Isfahan.” Of the standards, Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma” tends to stand out because of its unique arrangement in five and the sheer joy that all three musicians seem to be feeling, but all four classic covers are first-rate. In fact, all twelve pieces on Noble Path give notice that Art Hirahara’s music is worth hearing.

Track Listing: I’m OK; All Or Nothing At All; Stood Down; Ebb And Flow; Noble Path; Con Alma; Peace Unknown; Change Your Look; Isfahan; Nocturne; Vast; Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.

Personnel: Art Hirahara: piano; Yoshi Waki: bass; Dan Aran: drums.

Record Label: Posi-Tone Records | Style: Modern Jazz

Dan Bilawsky/All About Jazz

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Born in the Bay Area of San Francisco, pianist Art Hirahira has been playing, studying and teaching music most of his life.  He’s studied with Charlie Haden and Wadada Leo Smith at CalArts, performed with Dave Douglas, Vincent Herring, Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra, Jim Black, Jenny Scheinman, Fred Ho, Sean Nowell, royal hartigan, and Rufus Reid.  His work on saxophonist Sarah Manning’s impressive 2010 recording “Dandelion Clock” (Posi-Tone Records) really caught my attention (Ms. Manning’s playing is mighty impressive as well) and now the label has issued his first CD as a leader in over a decade.

“Noble Path” features the pianist/composer in the company of bassist Yoshi Waki and drummer Dan Aran and is one of those “piano trio” recordings that captures one’s ear with its musicality, subtlety and intelligence.  Don’t let that scare you away – the music also has bounce, swing, and strong solos.  The program starts with the warm swing of Hirahira’s “I’m OK“, with a melody, a piece that feels influenced by Phineas Newborn Jr. and Harold Mabern, with a piano solo that moves easily from two-handed chordal phrases to rippling single-note runs. Waki and Aran keep the flow moving without over-playing.

The CD includes 4 “standards”, ranging from the driving hard-bop attack of “All or Nothing at All” to the gracious take on Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma” to the lithe swing of Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn’s “Isfahan” (really strong piano solo) to Cole Porter’s gentle ballad “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” (the rhythm section is soft, supportive and creative behind the pianist.) Each song respects the original piece but the trio’s interactions make each piece shine anew.

Hirahara’s compositions cover much creative ground. The title track starts with a handsome melody (with a bit of a country music twist in the phrases) before stretching out into a sweet piano solo (Aran’s snare work mirrors the pianist’s lines nicely.)  A hint of both gospel music and Vince Guaraldi can be detected on the beautiful “Peace Unknown” with the pretty melody and piano solo supported by melodic bass lines and muted drums.  “Ebb and Flow” has a joyous swing, gentle not hard-edged while “Nocturne” is dreamy at the onset then opens up with some of the “freest” playing on the CD (the musicians go “out” without losing the melodic kernel of the piece.) “Change Your Look” begins with a harder attack (there’s a hard-driving section in the first third of the performance) then the pianist takes it down before jumping back into a faster pace. The tempo shifts back and forth as the intensity rises, ending on a short, impressionistic, solo piano coda.

“Noble Path” is a generous hour’s worth of music, generous in many senses, not the least of which is the abundance of melody.  Like the trio music of Bill Evans and Denny Zeitlin, the listener is drawn in by the quiet intensity of the players, by solos that capture the ear with unique turns-of-phrase, and sharp interplay.  Art Hirahara is a musician and person you should check out – his music will win you over.

somethingelsereviews.com

On May 3rd, Posi-Tone Records will deliver a rare new album by NYC-based pianist Art Hirahara, called Noble Path. “Lyrical” is an adjective I’ve seen ascribed to pianist Art Hirahara, and it’s one he lives up to on this trio date for his first Posi-Tone record. Though he hadn’t been very prolific leading sessions, Hirahara has been busy on the club circuit since arriving in New York in 2002, and done some sideman dates, including this one for Sarah Manning. For Noble Path, he brought in his working trio with him: Dan Aran on drums and Yoshi Waki on bass. This record tends to be pastoral more often than not, but it has its share of unpredictable moments: “Change Your Look” ambles along slowly when right in the middle of it, the band brings up the pace to a funky, snappy gait, and “Nocturne” flirts with free jazz. The stirring “Peace Unknown” leverages the heavy classical training of Hirahara’s youth. No matter what the leader throws out, the band is able to stay with it, a clear benefit of all those club dates together. With Noble Path, Hirahara has found a nice home at Posi-Tone and hopefully this signals the beginning of a long-overdue burst of recording activity.

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For his trio CD, “Noble Path” (Posi-Tone) the Bay area pianist Art Hirahara goes pleasurably old school, with an abundance of catchy, melodic originals. It’s a successful foray into the kind of music that one associates with leaders like Kenny Barron, Cedar Walton or John Hicks, and it’s clear that Hirahara holds a deep respect for musicians that ply the jazz trio tradition. Bassist Yoshi Waki and drummer Dan Aran, both rhythm masters in their own right, provide exemplary support on inspired originals (“Stood Down”) and dazzling covers (“All Or Nothing At All,” Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma.”) Hirahara has a deft technique that memorably crowns his originals and his fleet finger play positively shines on the title track. But you can sense this working group’s own satisfaction when bopping through the changes on Billy Strayhorn’s “Isfahan” or feeling the love from the music on Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.” (12 tracks; 63:16 minutes)

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Art Hirahara – Noble Path – Posi-Tone

On Art Hirahara’s new album, Noble Path, the tune is the truth and the truth is tuneful.

Published on April 26, 2011

Art Hirahara – Noble Path – Posi-Tone PR8074, 63:09 ****:

(Art Hirahara – piano; Dan Aran – drums, percussion; Yoshi Waki – bass)

Pianist Art Hirahara did not start out as a jazz composer and interpreter. During his college years he made progressive music using computers. But two things led him to a desire to play in a jazz combo and converse with like-minded musicians. One was the aspiration to bounce ideas off other music makers and another was listening to Branford Marsalis’s Crazy People Music (1989), the first jazz album Hirahara bought. Being a fellow keyboardist, Hirahara was deeply enticed by Kenny Kirkland’s lyrical energy as well as the quartet’s unity of purpose.

Over the decades, Hirahara has honed his own ability as a melodic performer as well as a group leader who strongly believes in interaction. Those skills can be heard on Hirahara’s first foray on the Posi-Tone label, Noble Path, which also includes drummer/percussionist Dan Aran and bassist Yoshi Waki. Hirahara penned eight of the 12 tracks: the others are two Tin Pan Alley pop tunes and two jazz standards by Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington.

There are several different emotional impressions inherent to Hirahara’s mainstream jazz compositions, from jaunty to melancholy, but they all serve Hirahara’s goal to move to a higher level of musical understanding and truth, similar to Buddhist guidelines. The luminous “Stood Down” is one refined example. The arrangement unfolds bit by bit as the trio displays synchronicity: Hirahara’s lower register keyboard lines merge with Aran’s percussive timekeeping and Waki’s conjoined bass. Hirahara’s beatific ballad “Peace Unknown” is even better, a poetic piece which captures the feel of Ennio Morricone’s gentle-natured nostalgia. No surprise the tune was influenced by Morricone’s score for Cinema Paradiso. Hirahara’s “Vast” is a late-night reverie where listeners can almost see the stars sprinkling the infinite evening sky: while Hirahara’s piano is sublime, Aran’s misty percussion adds just the right degree of humidity.

The mid-tempo cuts all share a lively tempo and allow plenty of room for Hirahara to dance across the keys. The opener “I’m OK” recalls some of the classic trio recordings from the 1950s and 1960s with its combination of ensemble togetherness and crisp soloing as well as a responsive melody. The unpredictable “Change Your Look” – Hirahara’s conception of crazy people music – is particularly well constructed with lots of shifts which provide a candid expression of the threesome’s varied rhythmic and harmonic organization.

On previous outings as a member of The Rhythm Section, Hirahara showed a penchant for translating other artists’ works. Here, Hirahara and his trio put some bounce and rebound on Arthur Altman’s well-known “All or Nothing At All,” which evokes Freddie Hubbard and John Coltrane, who both recorded versions. Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma” is also a highlight and the number has become one of the trio’s live favorites. Billy Strayhorn’s enduring “Isfahan” gets an artful rendition sparked by Hirahara’s wily piano playing. The hour-long program wraps up serenely with a reflective rendering of Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” where the trio genuinely communicates the essence of Porter’s romantic sentiments.

TrackList:
1. I’m OK
2. All or Nothing at All
3. Stood Down
4. Ebb and Flow
5. Noble Path
6. Con Alma
7. Peace Unknown
8. Change Your Look
9. Isfahan
10. Nocturne
11. Vast
12. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye

— Doug Simpson