Art Hirahara Libations & Meditations

Stacey Kent’s clear-as-light vocals and Art Hirahara’s lyrical piano make their duo outing exactly “what the world needs now.”…

Pianist Art Hirahara resounds with unstoppable melodic sensibility and a wide palette of colors and sounds on his latest effort "Echo Canyon." Joining Hirahara on this piano trio date are his familiar collaborators bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston, both of whom contribute exciting ideas and add a solid foundation to the session. “Echo Canyon” unfolds steadily as an engaging program of original compositions where Hirahara seeks to combine his inner reflections with moments of humble reverence for the greater and ineffable depths of our collective experiences. Whether one is already familiar with the music of Hirahara or discovering him for the first time, his latest effort is certain to bring insights and bright moments to jazz fans and serious listeners everywhere.

Pianist Art Hirahara unearths the heavenly landscapes of “Verdant Valley” on his eighth album for Posi-Tone Records. Searching for new realms of engaging expression, Hirahara perseveres steadily along on his personal journey of musical unfoldment. With a steady hand, Hirahara displays a clear sense of creative continuity, and succeeds in creating a bold impassioned statement with significant and meaningful contributions from his trusted collaborators: tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston. The program is eminently lyrical and clearly suggestive of a modern jazz sensibility, while the focus remains melodically straight forward with a steady flow of thoughtful interplay and hard swinging highlights. With an amazing combination of talents and an evocative program of brilliant performances, “Verdant Valley” is sure to bring bright moments of intense delight to serious listeners and jazz fans everywhere.

Stacey Kent is a jazz singer in the mold of the greats, with a legion of fans worldwide, a host of honors and awards including a Grammy nomination, album sales in excess of 2 Million, Gold, Double-Gold and Platinum-selling albums that have reached a series of No. 1 chart positions during the span of her career. An interpreter of The Great American Song Book and beyond, Kent's music and influences span multiple genres, a testament to her "wandering, restless spirit" as an artist. Her long time songwriting collaborator is Nobel Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro.