Suraya Mohamed | September 8, 2023
Hiromi arrived at NPR wearing comfortable sweats, her chic hair already styled and perfectly coiffed for the performance. A keyboard gig bag was strapped on her back with her Nord Lead A1 analog modeling synthesizer, a versatile instrument loaded with her programmed patches. Its buzzy, modular sound started the show with a funky melodic line that sets up this highly energetic and joyful set.

Just before this performance, she and her band “Hiromi’s Sonicwonder” had just finished recording their soon to be released new album, Sonicwonderland. They perform two songs from that project here, and each one is its own auditory adventure, filled with sophisticated arrangements and lush textures. Adam O’Farrill’s trumpet playing is exquisite, as he sometimes routes his horn sound through pedals to create an ethereal tone. Hadrien Feraud thumps his bass lines with precision and grit as he locks in really tight with Gene Coye’s crisp and momentous drum performance.

You can see how much fun Hiromi is having here, her beautiful smile beams as she rips her small but strong hands up and down multiple keyboards. She moves seamlessly between the three instruments, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting, sometimes dancing — always breathtaking. Her whole body generates an observable power that’s also playful and virtuosic. She plays with great command but yet she is also at ease, as her notes ripple from her fingertips like streams of water.

SET LIST
“Sonicwonderland”
“Wanted”

MUSICIANS
“Hiromi’s Sonicwonder”
Hiromi Uehara: piano, keys
Adam O’Farrill: trumpet
Gene Coye: drums
Hadrien Feraud: bass

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Alanté Serene, Joshua Bryant
Audio Assistant: Kwesi Lee
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Catie Dull
Tiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Hazel Cills
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#hiromi #nprmusic #tinydesk