Review
From the relaxed, sly sense of phrasing on the engaging opener, an original called I m OK that resonates with the old-school appeal of a Tin Pan Alley chestnut, Noble Path sounds like the work of a seasoned veteran or at least a precocious talent capable of an experienced pro s taste and grace. At 39, pianist-composer Art Hirahara is somewhere in between: He s been around but is only beginning to make his mark on New York s jazz scene. Judging by his impressive debut as a leader, he s already made significant inroads. With Yoshi Waki on bass and Dan Aran on drums, Hirahara conjures up pleasant conversations on originals like Stood Down, the waltz-time Ebb and Flow and the briskly swinging title track. The trio also turns in classy interpretations of Dizzy Gillespie s Con Alma, Duke Ellington s Isfahan and Cole Porter s Ev ry Time We Say Goodbye. --Bill Milkowski - Jazz Times
Review
Art Hirahara s new debut CD Noble Path is full of well crafted stories told in a contemporary style that borrows more from the mainstream than the modern but don t let that fool you - this is an exciting new trio with depth and width in their vision and execution. Hirahara builds tension and excitement with two hands, the left locking into full fingered voicings and the right exploring multiple runs and percussive accents that never seem to lack imagination, surprise or momentum. The opening Hirahara original, the easy going I m OK, could have come from the pen of Tadd Dameron and indeed there are four underplayed standards here rendered with great maturity and ease of expression beyond his years, Con Alma, Ellington s beautiful Isfahan, All or Nothing At All and Porter s Ev ry Time We Say Goodbye. But it is the Hirahara originals that intrigue the most with an unpredictable turn of harmony and a gradual layering of harmonic and melodic intensity those story telling hands have a lot to say. Yoshi Waki on bass and Dan Aran on drums are Hirahara s equals and for the trio s next release I want to hear many more solos especially from Waki who, with Aran, is top flight. Listen carefully and you can here how he converses but occasionally I d like to hear him make a speech! On the brilliantly constructed Noble Path his playing is superb. It sounds like this grouping has played often and after a while when you disengage your ears directly from the three music elements and focus on the shared musical thrust you feel the ebb and flow (one of Art s best originals in this collection is called Ebb and Flow) of a music that although erring on the mainstream is played by three souls who have mastered the craft of musical communication both within their trio and with the listener. From the excellent Posi-Tone label - highly recommend. --Paul Zetter - Trioriot
