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Art Hirahara

Art Hirahara is a jazz keyboardist and composer based in New York, NY. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Art moved to New York in 2003 to be challenged by its pool of world-class musicians. Here he has honed his craft, performing in a wide range of musical situations ranging from straight ahead standards to time cycle-based progressive jazz to free improvisation. From the traditional to the avant-garde, Art has found a sound of his own that cuts across genres and boundaries.

Art began his training in music at the age of four, studying with Sue Shannon, an unconventional classical piano teacher who taught improvisation and composition from the earliest stages of musical development. This provided the foundation for his awakening to jazz during his studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he earned a degree in Electronic and Computer Music. During his junior year, he began jazz piano studies with the Cleveland jazz giant, Neal Creque.

He then continued at California Institute of the Arts, where he was mentored by David Roitstein, Charlie Haden and Wadada Leo Smith. It was there that he immersed himself in world music, focusing on West African drumming and dance, Balinese gamelan and North Indian tabla. After his move to New York, Art studied at the Banff Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music program with Dave Douglas in 2004.

Art has had the privilege to perform with Stacey Kent, Freddy Cole, Akira Tana, Rufus Reid, Don Braden, Roseanna Vitro, Dave Douglas, Vincent Herring, Victor Lewis, Travis Sullivan s Bjorkestra, Jim Black, Jenny Scheinman, Greg Cohen, Fred Ho, Sean Nowell, royal hartigan and Hafez Modirzadeh. He has performed around the world in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East and extensively around the United States.

In New York, he has played at the city ’s premier venues, including Birdland, Smalls, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Jazz Standard and 55 Bar. In addition to performing, Art is an educator. He has taught master classes both domestically and abroad. He taught at the Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory and was a performing member of NY PopsEd, an educational organization focusing on bringing music to elementary and secondary schools.

Art ’s piano and compositional sound are an amalgamation of the varied musical influences he has studied and the wide range of leaders he has worked for. Art is constantly seeking new situations to challenge his musicality. Most recently has worked as a producer for recordings and musical director for various artists of different genres.

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Album Review

Blue Moods: Swing & Soul

Read "Swing & Soul" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


Swing & Soul is the second in a series of recordings by Blue Moods, one of the projects initiated by Posi-Tone Records producer Marc Free to attract new listeners to jazz. The release showcases a collection of compositions by pianist Duke Pearson, an underrecognized figure who worked for Blue Note as an A&R man, arranger, and sideman, in addition to leading several dates that remain in high regard by many aficionados. Five of Posi-Tone's leading lights, tenor ...

5
Album Review

Art Hirahara: Echo Canyon

Read "Echo Canyon" reviewed by Neil Duggan


The planned happenstance theory states that unplanned events can create new opportunities. So it was that Art Hirahara was in the right place at the right time, taking last-minute advantage of studio time at Brooklyn's Acoustic Recording studio following a cancellation by another artist. Along with his long time collaborators, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston, the session produced the album, Echo Canyon. This is his ninth album for the Posi-Tone Records label and follows on from Verdant Valley ...

14
Album Review

Stacey Kent: Summer Me, Winter Me

Read "Summer Me, Winter Me" reviewed by Neil Duggan


With her album sales measured in millions, Stacey Kent is one of the great success stories in modern jazz. Her multi-lingual abilities allow her to record in various languages and she has appeared in over fifty countries. Her appeal is global and it is her vocal ability which has taken her to these heights. Her voice is light but commands attention with her ability to engage and communicate the narratives of love and regret, often in a simple and minimalist ...

4
Album Review

Altin Sencalar: In Good Standing

Read "In Good Standing" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


In many ways, In Good Standing is a jazz aficionado's dream. Trombonist, composer, and arranger Altin Sencalar's inaugural disc as a leader for Posi-Tone encourages granular, analytical consideration. It is worthwhile to pause and think about the details of inspired performances, ponder the efficacy of Sencalar's original compositions and interpretations of gems penned by jazz giants, and contemplate the numerous examples of his band's esprit de corps. Conversely, it would be a shame to only concentrate on these things and ...

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Album Review

Don Braden: Earth Wind and Wonder, Vol. 2

Read "Earth Wind and Wonder, Vol. 2" reviewed by Jack Bowers


As on the first recording of this two-volume series, acclaimed tenor saxophonist Don Braden pays tribute to a couple of his coming-of-age idols, singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder and the genre-defying group Earth, Wind and Fire. Braden has chosen four of Wonder's compositions and three associated with EW&F to accompany a pair of his splendid original themes. Braden plays tenor saxophone most of the way, flute and alto flute, respectively on Wonder's “Bird of Beauty" and “Creepin.'" Needless to ...

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Album Review

Josh Lawrence: And That Too

Read "And That Too" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


Less than ten seconds into “Grit," the opening track of Josh Lawrence's latest chapter as a leader for Posi-Tone Records, the trumpeter uncorks a jaw-dropping solo. Set in a brisk, no-nonsense tempo, it does not so much eclipse the music that follows as it sets the tone for the record by declaring that And That Too is playful and deadly serious. Lawrence's rich, full-bodied tone is the entryway to over two minutes of unadulterated invention. Every note ...

5
Album Review

Diego Rivera: Love & Peace

Read "Love & Peace" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


While some of its roots lie in jazz practices of the mid-to-late twentieth century, Diego Rivera's Love & Peace brushes aside the expectations and comparisons which often accompany newly-recorded records that bear a resemblance to sounds from the past. The tenor and soprano saxophonist assembled a cast of players who frequently appear on Posi-Tone releases. Pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston have met the challenges of loads of jazz and improvised music projects, ...

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Event

Mychelle Colleary, Elias Bailey, Art Hirahara at Mannahatta 4/16

Mychelle Colleary, Elias Bailey, Art Hirahara at Mannahatta 4/16

Source: All About Jazz

2007 MAC nominee for Outstanding Jazz Vocalist MYCHELLE COLLEARY with Elias Bailey on bass and Art Hirahara on piano

at MANNAHATTA LOUNGE 8pm-10pm 316 Bowery @ Bleecker, New York City http://www.mannahatta.us 212.253.8644

Monday, April 16th 8pm-10pm NO COVER , 1 drink minimum per set

This is PICK-UP jazz... Like pick-up basketball... We show up and just play! Great good fun of improvised, arrangements while-you-wait, loveliness

This ...

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Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Earth Wind and...

Self Produced
2024

buy

Swing & Soul

Posi-Tone Records
2024

buy

Love & Peace

Posi-Tone Records
2023

buy

And That Too

Posi-Tone Records
2023

buy

Between The Bars

Posi-Tone Records
2023

buy

Lift You Up

On The Bol
2023

buy

Stop This Climate Change

From: Lift You Up
By Art Hirahara

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