''Spiral'' is a studio album by jazz pianist

Hiromi Uehara , known professionally as Hiromi, is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blend of musical genres such as stride, post-bop, progressive rock, classical and fusion in her ...

with bassist

Tony Grey Tony Grey (born March 25, 1975, in Newcastle, England) is an English bass player, composer, producer, author and award winning music educator; Grey studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and graduated receiving the "Outstanding Performe ...

and drummer

Martin Valihora Martin Valihora (born 4 May 1976) is a Slovak drummer and percussionist. Valihora studied piano between 1986 and 1987, but then switched to drums, having received private lessons from a Slovak drummer Oldo Petráš. He then studied drums and pe ...

. NPR called the album "part classical, part jazz and part simply unclassifiable".

Reception

Matt Cibula of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' wrote, "''Spiral'' is her third album... This record will be on many people's year-end lists, even if they are not jazz people. Dig it." Paula Edelstein of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

commented, "With the release of Spiral, the award-winning pianist/composer Hiromi Uehara stands at the threshold of limitless possibility." Jim Santella of ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' commented "Her piano cascades drive with simple elegance, and she resolves every phrase with a dynamic spirit. She enthralls her audience with powerful rhythmic strides that challenge the intellect. Meters change, moods shift, and her driving force keeps on going. Her improvised romps come alive with foot-tapping and head-bobbing energy that keeps the listener buoyed from start to finish."

Track listing

# Spiral (10:40) # Open Door - Tuning - Prologue (10:16) # Déjà Vu (7:45) # Reverse (5:09) # Edge (5:19) # Old Castle, by the River, in the Middle of the Forest (8:20) # Love and Laughter (9:20) # Return of the Kung-Fu World Champion (9:39) # Big Chill (Japanese edition Bonus track) (7:30)

Personnel

– piano *

– bass *

– drums

References

External links

Disocgraphy at official site
{{Authority control 2006 albums Hiromi Uehara albums