Hiromi Uehara is a pianist and composer known for her restless creativity. Since her debut in 2003, she has moved fluidly between solo classical works and high-octane fusion. Her numerous genre-blurring collaborations include projects with jazz greats like Stanley Clarke and the late Chick Corea, who invited her onstage for an impromptu duet when she was just 17 and later recorded a full album with her.

In this episode of Jazz Night in America, Hiromi takes us on a personal tour of her career, selecting 10 tracks from 10 different bands she has led or joined — a sonic journey through nearly 25 years of music-making.

She reflects on early breakthroughs, unexpected partnerships and moments of creative risk, offering a window into how her sound has evolved over time. The episode also includes music from her latest project, a quartet she calls Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, where she continues to explore new musical terrain.

Set List:
(All songs composed by Hiromi Uehara unless otherwise noted)

1. “XYZ” from the album Another Mind (2003) 
   The band: Hiromi’s debut trio, including Mitch Cohn and Dave DiCenso
2. “Time Out” from the album Time Control (2007) 
   The band: Hiromi’s Sonicbloom, featuring Tony Grey, Martin Valihora and David Fiuczynski
3. “Humpty Dumpty” (Chick Corea) from the album Duet (2008)
   The band: Chick Corea and Hiromi
4. “No Mystery” (Corea) from the album The Stanley Clarke Band (2010)
   The band: The Stanley Clarke Band featuring Hiromi
5. “Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.8 – Pathetique” (Ludwig van Beethoven) from the album Voice (2011)
   The band: The Trio Project featuring Hiromi, Anthony Jackson, and Simon Phillips
6. “Move” from the album Move (2012)
   The band: The Trio Project
7. “Cantina Band” (John Williams) from the album Hiromi & Edmar Castañeda, Live in Montreal (2017)
   The band: Edmar Castañeda and Hiromi
8. “Spectrum” from the album Spectrum (2019)
   The band: solo piano
9. “Ribera del Duero” from the album Silver Lining Suite (2021)
   The band: The Piano Quintet featuring Hiromi, Wataru Mukai, Meguna Naka, Tatsuo Nishie and Sohei Birmann
10. “Out There: Takin’ Off” from the album Out There (2025)
    The band: Hiromi’s Sonicwonder featuring Hadrien Feraud, Gene Coye, and Adam O’Farrill

Credits: Trevor Smith: writer and producer; Sarah Geledi: producer; Christian McBride, host; Ron Scalzo: mastering; Nikki Birch and Mitra Arthur: video producers; Steven A. Williams, executive producer; Suraya Mohamed, executive producer, NPR Music; Keith Jenkins, vice president of visuals and music strategy, NPR.