VIDEO

BIO

Since Hiromi’s debut album Another Mind (2003), the world-renowned pianist’s sound has evolved with every release, erasing the lines between jazz and classical, composition and improvisation. Now she changes tack again with her heaviest, funkiest album yet: Sonicwonderland.

Hiromi describes the hard-hitting nine-song set as “a new journey of adventure,” one that began in her imagination. As motifs, phrases, and timbres blossomed in her mind, she began thinking about players who could help her realize this specific sound. “Making a record is like making a movie, and I’m the director looking for the perfect actor for each role.” For her new quartet, Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, she cast bassist Hadrien Feraud, drummer Gene Coye, and trumpet player Adam O’Farrill.

The genesis of Sonicwonder begins in 2016, when Feraud subbed for bassist Anthony Jackson at some gigs with Hiromi’s then-current trio. “When I was playing with Hadrien in that setting, I started to feel like I wanted to write some music just for him,” she recalls. “That was the first thing that made me want to go in this direction, and what made me want it to form this band.”

For the drums she sought a warm, organic sound, rendered with joy and humor, and thought of Coye, who she’d met when they played shows together with the Stanley Clarke Band. Feraud and Coye both reside in Los Angeles, and had made music together many times, another important consideration. “I feel that it's always very important to have great chemistry between bassist and drummer.”

As she continued composing, Hiromi heard one more instrument in her head: trumpet. Again, she wanted a very specific sound. “What I really love about the trumpet is its low mid-range, and I was looking for somebody who can play in that range with a beautiful tone.” After reviewing some of O’Farrill’s performances online, she invited him to a casual jam session, and the ensemble was complete.

The opening cut on Sonicwonderland, “Wanted,” mirrors that assemblage. It starts with Hiromi’s piano, followed by bass, then drums, and finally trumpet. “I was looking for these imaginary band members, and that’s the order I found them in.” Their origin story complete, the foursome’s adventure officially commences with the title tune – and another musical wrinkle.

Longtime fans may recall that earlier albums Time Control (2007) and Beyond Standard (2008), credited to Hiromi’s Sonicbloom, emphasized electronic timbres. That’s the case here, too. “When I use this word, ‘sonic,’ that's like my electric side. I’m playing a lot more keyboards compared to my other bands.” “Sonicwonderland” celebrates sounds made with her Nord Lead A1 analog modeling synthesizer and Nord Electro 5D. “When I write on this keyboard, I always end up writing something totally different from when I write on the piano.”

Sonicwonderland sounds worlds away from Hiromi’s previous studio album, Silver Lining Suite (2021), which featured a string quartet, but the two records share one aspect in common: both expand on ideas introduced during her “One Minute Portrait” series of Instagram collaborations during the global pandemic. “I was playing mainly with people who improvised, and Instagram only allowed one minute of video, so you only heard about 20 seconds of what I’d composed, a certain motif or distinctive phrase, in each one.” The original “Utopia” featured Feraud, “so that was an easy transition.” The energetic “Go Go,” previously a pairing with Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, likewise lent itself well to further exploration by Hiromi’s Sonicwonder.

Singer Oli Rockberger, a classmate from Hiromi’s days at Berklee College of Music, joins the group on “Reminiscence.” “We’ve been great friends for many years.” So even though he didn’t know at the time, he was there from the song’s inception. “I called Oli and said, ‘I’ve written this song and I'm hearing your voice in my head. Would you like to co-write the lyrics?’” The finished composition was initially set aside but came to fruition once Hiromi realized how well O’Farrill’s trumpet could complement Rockberger’s singing.

Sonicwonderland was recorded in just three and a half days at Skywalker Sound Stage in Nicasio, California, where she’d previously made her solo piano album Spectrum (2019). Pre-production was minimal but robust: two days of rehearsal in New York, followed by a dozen back-to-back shows in Minneapolis and Oakland. “It was a great way to slide into the session,” she says. “We went into the studio and could play like we play live,” right down to using the exact same piano from the Oakland club gigs which is prepared by the same piano technician Shintaro Hoshino.

For the finishing touch, Hiromi asked Lou Beach – the artist responsible for the look of classics by Weather Report, Bill Withers, and countless others – to illustrate the album sleeve. “I’ve been a fan of his art for so long, and I sent him a couple of demos.” Beach’s response was immediate and enthusiastic: I know just what to draw! “He came back with this cover, and it's just amazing, like the sound becomes visual.”

“Whenever I play shows or make an album, I feel like it's a journey to find the people who can feel a deep connection to what I'm doing right now,” concludes Hiromi. “Hopefully, with Sonicwonderland, I can connect to fans that listened to my music before and to new listeners, too.”

Born in Hamamatsu, Japan, Hiromi began studying piano when she was six years old. When she was 17, Chick Corea invited her to play with him at a Tokyo concert. She attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where she was mentored by jazz legend Ahmad Jamal. A prolific artist, Sonicwonderland is Hiromi’s twelfth studio full-length and second album of 2023; earlier this year she recorded the soundtrack to Blue Giant, an animated feature film based on the popular manga.

Hiromi is a perennial favorite on DownBeat’s Annual Critics and Readers Poll, and has performed at the world’s finest jazz festivals, including Montreux, Umbria, North Sea, Newport, and Monterey. Her work has been celebrated by media including the New York Times, NPR and NPR Music, and the Washington Post, and she was a featured performer at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in 2021.


Upcoming Performances

Friday, April 4, 2025
Symphony Center
Chicago, IL
Hiromi's Sonicwonder

Saturday, April 5, 2025
George Weston Recital Hall
Toronto, CA
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Monday, April 7, 2025
Blue Note
New York, N.Y.
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Tuesday, April 8 & Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Dakota
Minneapolis, MN
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Thursday, April 10, 2025
Fox Tucson Theater
Tucson, AZ
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Friday, April 11, 2025
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Scottsdale, AZ
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Saturday, April 12, 2025
University of Texas at Dallas
Richardson, Texas
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Sunday, April 13, 2025
Moore Theater
Seattle, WA
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Aladdin Theater
Portland, OR
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Thursday, April 17 - Sunday, April 20, 2025
SF Jazz
San Francisco, CA
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Monday, April 21, 2025
Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Santa Cruz, CA
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Thursday, April 24, 2025
Irvine Barclay Theater
Irvine, CA
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Friday, April 25, 2025
Campbell Hall
Santa Barbara, CA
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Thursday, May 15, 2025
Sanat Concert Hall
Istanbul, Turkey
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Friday, May 16, 2025
Georg Friedrich Handel
Halle, Germany
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Saturday, May 17, 2025
Philharmonie Essen
Essen, Germany
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Monday, May 19, 2025
Volkhaus Basel
Basel, Switzerland
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Stromwerk
Dresden, Germany
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Friday, May 23, 2025
Isar Philharmonie
Munich, Germany
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Sunday, May 24, 2025
Telekom Forum
Bonn, Germany
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Sunday, May 25, 2025
Stora Teatern
Gotesborg, Sweden
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Jazz Sous Les Pommiers
Coutances, France
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Saturday, August 9, 2025
Detroit Jazz Festival
Detroit, MI
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Wisconsin Union Theater
Madison, WI
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Wednesday, October 22, 2025
City Recital Hall
Sydney, Australia
Hiromi: The Piano Quintet

Friday, October 24, 2025
Octagon Theater
Perth, Australia
Hiromi: The Piano Quintet

Sunday, October 26, 2025
Hamer Hall The Arts Centre
Melbourne, Australia
Hiromi: The Piano Quintet

Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Adelaide Town Hall
Adelaide, Australia
Hiromi: The Piano Quintet

Friday, November 7, 2025
Muziekgebouw Frits Philips
Eindhoven, Netherlands
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Saturday, November 8, 2025
Rockit Festival
Groningen, Netherlands
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Monday, November 10, 2025
Amare
Den Haag, Netherlands
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Teatro Fernando Fernan Gomez
Madrid, Spain
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Thursday, November 13, 2025
Erbenhof Schallkultur Festival
Thuringen, Germany
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Saturday, November 15, 2025
Gran Teatro Geox
Padova, Italy
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Sunday, November 16, 2025
Philharmonie Luxembourg
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Wednesday, November 19, 2026
Halle Aux Grains
Toulouse, France
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

Friday, November 21, 2025
Barbican Centre
London, England
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder






Booking

Worldwide Except Asia

IMN International Music Network

Scott Southard

scott@imnworld.com

Alycia Mack

alycia@imnworld.com 

 
 

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