Another Mind

Another Mind is the debut release from Hiromi Uehara, a jazz and jazz fusion pianist. It was released in 2003 and received the award for foreign jazz album of the year in the 2004 Japan Annual Gold Disc Awards.

"I don't want to put a name on my music. Other people can put a name on what I do. It's just the union of what I've been listening to and what I've been learning. It has some elements of classical music, it has some rock, it has some jazz, but I don't want to give it a name." — Hiromi Uehara

The "head" to the opening track basically consists of three seperate sections, hence the title XYZ. X contains a rock driven beat that becomes aetherial. Y contains a different rock beat that drives into Z where the bass line puts the listener into a trance mode overwhich Hiromi and Dave Dicensio solo. The next 3 tracks consists of pieces with different special guest artists Anthony Jackon on bass, Jim Odgren on alto sax and David Fiuczynski on guitar depending on the track. Double personality yet again juxtaposes two different types of styles. With odgren taking the melody in the A section of the tune, the piece seems to start off as a normal jazz tune when Fiuczynski breaks in on guitar with a grungy rock tone supply by the change in rhythm by the drums. Odgren, Fuiczynski and Hiromi all take solos each gradually builidng from the simplest and softest idea to a big jam at the end. Odgren returns for one last tune on Summer Rain, a border line smooth jazz tune. The mood of the albums settles down with Joy, where Anthony Jackson actually takes a solo (it is very rare to find Anthony Jackson soloing on anything these days). Hiromi switches gears to keyboard and synth for the song appropirately titled 010101 (Binary System). This song has many layers of music as well, and Hiromi effectively accomplished making music sound like it was being played by a computer. . . in the best possible way anyone can say that.

The last half of the album is more straightforward than the first. This shows more the fusion aspect of Hiromi's playing rather than some of her more avangard material seen in pieces like Double Personality, XYZ and 010101. Truth and Lies tells it like it is. Only one theme to be concerned with and not much for the listener to worry about. In Dançando no Paraiso, Hiromi shows her latin influence with a fast pace semblence of salsa jazz (however because there are some moments when the groove changes to hard rock the bass player hits on 1 rather than 4, unlike in traditional latin jazz). The title track contains many polyrhythmic elements as at times the bass piano and drums will all be doing different rhythms. There are also many tritone intervals used through out the peace. To land the album on an up note, hiromi takes on the task of playing a theme from the Tom and Jerry Show solo piano. Using stride piano effect in her left hand and bluesy licks in her right hand, she takes flight during the first part of the piece.. Eventually it turns into a ballad showing her delicate side rather than the brazen and rather ruthless side of her that was scene through out the rest of the album. Many influence by Fats Waller and Art Tatum are seen in this piece.

Track Listing:

 * 1) XYZ (5:37)
 * 2) Double Personality (11:57)
 * 3) Summer Rain (6:07)
 * 4) Joy (8:29)
 * 5) 010101 (Binary System) - (8:23)
 * 6) Truth and Lies (7:20)
 * 7) Dançando no Paraiso (7:39)
 * 8) Another Mind (8:44)
 * 9) The Tom and Jerry Show (6:05)
 * All pieces are composed by Hiromi

Personnel
with guests:
 * Hiromi Uehara - Piano
 * Mitch Cohn - Bass
 * Dave DiCenso - Drums
 * Anthony Jackson - Bass
 * Jim Odgren - Alto Saxophone (2, 3)
 * David Fiuczynski - Guitar (2)