| Art Hirahara | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 (age 52–53) |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Website | arthirahara.com |
Art Hirahara (born 1971) is an American jazz pianist and composer.
Life and career
Hirahara started playing the piano at the age of four. He studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the California Institute of the Arts. While at Oberlin, he had jazz lessons with pianist Neal Creque. He has been part of the jazz scene in New York since 2003, after moving there from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Hirahara's debut album, Edge of This Earth, was released in 2000. In 2011 Posi-Tone Records released Hirahara's Noble Path, a trio album with Yoshi Waki (bass), and Dan Aran (drums). His next Posi-Tone album, Libations & Meditations from 2015, was a trio recording with bassist Linda Oh (bass) and drummer John Davis.
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.
Playing style
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, multiple strains of the avant-garde".
Discography
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
As leader/co-leader
| Year recorded | Year released | 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) | |
| 2010 | 2011 | Noble Path | Posi-Tone | Trio, with Yoshi Waki (bass), Dan Aran (drums, percussion) |
| 2013 | 2015 | Libations & Meditations | Posi-Tone | Trio, with Linda Oh (bass), John Davis (drums) |
| 2015 | 2017 | Central Line | Posi-Tone | Most tracks trio, with Linda May Han Oh (bass), Rudy Royston (drums); some tracks quartet, with Donny McCaslin (tenor sax) added |
| 2017 | 2018 | Sunward Bound | Posi-Tone | Quartet, with Donny McCaslin (tenor sax), Linda May Han Oh (bass), Rudy Royston (drums, percussion) |
| 2018 | 2020 | Balance Point | Posi-Tone | Quartet, with Melissa Aldana (tenor sax), Joe Martin (bass), Rudy Royston (drums) |
| 2020 | 2021 | Open Sky | Posi-Tone | Most tracks trio, with Boris Kozlov (bass), Rudy Royston (drums, percussion); three tracks quartet, with Nicole Glover (tenor sax, soprano sax) added; one track quartet with Behn Gillece (vibraphone) added |
| 2023 | 2024 | Good Company | Posi-Tone | Trio, with Ron Horton (trumpet), Paul Bollenback (guitar) |
As sideman
| 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 |
| 2023 | Don Braden | Earth Wind and Wonder Volume 2 | (Self-released) |
References
- ^ West, Michael J. (August 2020). "Collaboration Fuels Hirahara". DownBeat. Vol. 87, no. 8. p. 15.
- ^ Chinen, Nate & Ratliff, Nate (January 5, 2015) "Albums from Art Hirahara and Death Grips". The New York Times.
- ^ "Art Hirahara" Archived 2017-08-08 at the Wayback Machine. Posi-Tone Records. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- "Noble Path". bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- "Libations & Meditations". bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- "Central Line". bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- "Sunward Bound". bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- "Balance Point". bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- "Open Sky". bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- Appelbaum, Larry (October 2024). "Art Hirahara: Good Company". DownBeat. Vol. 91, no. 10. p. 53.
- "Good Company". bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- Simms-Burton, Michele L. (April 2019). "Something Blue: Maximum Enjoyment". DownBeat. Vol. 86, no. 4. p. 61.
- "Witness to History". donbraden.bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 31, 2023.