Entrevista Hiromi Uehara (All About Jazz) 20 Octubre 2003

Entrevista:

Es posible que la fecha de la entrevista no sea correcta, ya que la fecha del 20 Octubre 2003 es la fecha que publicaron la entrevista en la pagina, pero asumo se hizo cerca de esos dias.



All About Jazz: Tus primeros estudios musicales fueron en la Yamaha School of Music. Por favor describe tu experiencia en este lugar. Fue esto en Tokyo?
Hiromi Uehara: Esto fue en Shizuoka, donde estaba mi hogar. Yo empecé a asistir a esta escuela cuando tenía cinco años. También asistía a una escuela primaria normal, y tomaba lecciones de piano con un profesor local. Empecé a estudiar composición en la Yamaha School, y continúe mis estudios ahí mismo hasta la edad de 15 años.


All About Jazz: Como decidiste que querías estudiar piano?
Hiromi Uehara: Mi mama realmente quería estudiar piano cuando era pequeña, pero no tuvo la oportunidad de tomar lecciones. Así que es por eso que ella quería que hiciera esto y ella me llevo a las clases de piano.


All About Jazz: Has estudiado otros instrumentos aparte del piano? 
Hiromi Uehara: No.

All About Jazz: Bueno, el piano puede sonar como una orquestra entera.
Hiromi Uehara: Si, yo tambien opino lo mismo! 

All About Jazz: Como fue que encontraste el jazz?
Hiromi Uehara: Fue a través de mi primera maestra de piano. Ella amaba el jazz demasiado. Tenía muchos LPs de música de jazz, Errol Garner fue uno de sus favoritos. Ella era una maestra clásica, pero al mismo tiempo, amaba el jazz. Me ayudo a escuchar un álbum de Errol Garner cuando tenía ocho años. Obviamente yo mostré mucho interés en la música, que me pregunto si quería empezar a improvisar. Así que ella me puso a improvisar en piezas clásicas de Mozart, Haydn. Después empecé a jugar con la música clásica por mi cuenta, improvisando en las melodías. Fue así como me metí en la música de Jazz. Después empecé a explorar más LPs de jazz en la colección de mi maestra.

All About Jazz: Cuando eras joven, pensaste que el jazz era una musica popular en Japon?  
Hiromi Uehara: No, no lo creo. Bueno, era popular en mi mundo! Porque mi maestra lo amaba mucho, y yo adquiri eso de ella.  

All About Jazz: Estabas al tanto de artistas japoneses de jazz mientras te interesabas en la musica?
Hiromi Uehara: Empecé a escuchar artistas japoneses de jazz cuando iba a la secundaria. Algunos de los que escuchaba eran Yosuke Yamashita, Toshiko Akiyoshi y Sadao Watanabe.

All About Jazz: Crees que el jazz es popular en japón en la actualidad?  
Hiromi Uehara: Yo creo que la música más común en Japón en la actualidad es la música pop. Pop japonés. Conoces el Enka? Es el antiguo, tradicional estilo de la música japonesa. Los cantantes se vestían con kimonos y esto sigue siendo popular. Pero opino que los músicos de jazz están intentando arduamente para abrir las puertas para los jóvenes y que puedan escuchar algo distinto en la música. Escucho mucho jazz en los comerciales de Japón. Pero dentro de los estilos de jazz, creo que a la gente le siguen gustando los mas antiguos y tradicionales estilos del jazz. Música de la era swing y de la era bepop.


All About Jazz: Blue Note Records.

Hiromi Uehara: Si, Blue Note Records. Tambien, vocal jazz.

All About Jazz: Entonces a los japoneses debe gustarles Norah Jones.

Hiromi Uehara: Oh, sí, les gusta Norah Jones. A mí también me gusta. Es una música hermosa.

All About Jazz: Como fue tu desición de venir a los Estados Unidos para estudiar en Berklee?

Hiromi Uehara: Quería estudiar orquestación y arreglo un poco más.

All About Jazz: Te alentaron tus maestros en Japón para ir a Berklee?

Hiromi Uehara: No, en realidad, yo tocaba jingles  para comerciales en la TV cuando estaba en Japón, por dos años. Empecé a involucrarme en la orquestación, y empecé a darme cuenta de que lo extenso que es. Me di cuenta que tenía que estudiar más. Y tenía muchas ganas de venir a los Estados Unidos, desde una edad muy temprana.  Yo realmente amaba el jazz, y el jazz es de los Estados Unidos. Quería venir al lugar donde había nacido el jazz. Y pensé que era el momento indicado para que yo viniera.

All About Jazz: Cuando entreviste a Gary Burton de Berklee, platicamos de cuantos estudiantes asistían a Berklee.

Hiromi Uehara: Y cuantos asistían?

All About Jazz: He said about 10% of the student body comes from Japan. About 300 students. In your experience, do the Japanese students there hang out together, or do they pursue friendships with students from all over?

Hiromi Uehara: It varies. I think there are three types of Japanese students there. The first type would be Japanese people who only hang with Japanese people. The second type are those who only hang with Americans, or others, non-Japanese people. The third type hang with everybody, anybody. And I was the third type. But I really appreciate the fact that there are so many Japanese students here because Japan is where I came from.. Speaking Japanese makes me feel really comfortable.

All About Jazz: When you were at Berklee, did this give you opportunities to play in public'in clubs? Were you able to make good contacts?

Hiromi Uehara: Being there gave me the chance to make a contact with Ahmad, Ahmad Jamal. Meeting him was the greatest, biggest opportunity for me. But I also met so many amazing musicians at Berklee, including my teachers, and other students. For example, my drummer is a teacher at Berklee. Also, at Berklee I was able to get gigs playing in piano bars, playing at weddings.

AAJ: You mentioned Ahmad Jamal, and you have also met and played with Oscar Peterson and Chick Corea. All outstanding pianists. Do you feel inspiration from other instrumentalists too?

HU: I love guitarists. The guitar is a favorite instrument of mine.

AAJ: Have you met Pat Metheny?

HU: No. But he's, like, my hero! I really like his music. I've listened to his new solo album.

AAJ: In your liner notes to your CD, you describe the inspiration you get from other musicians as a kind of energy. You also mentioned that you are inspired by great athletes, such as Michael Jordan. Do you include Japanese baseball players?

HU: Yes, yes, of course. I love Ichiro. I think it's very encouraging that more Japanese ballplayers are playing in the States now.

AAJ: Can you tell me more about the energy of inspiration?

HU: Take Michael Jordan, for example. When he shoots, when he goes up, when he jumps and is in the air, everyone is with him'there is so much concentration, everyone is amazed, and happy, and feel as if they are flying too. In the whole gym, the energy is one. The crowd is one. It's a most amazing, beautiful thing.

AAJ: And music can be this kind of energy, this unifying force.

HU: Yes, I think so.

AAJ: On Another Mind, your new CD, you perform your own compositions exclusively. Can you tell me about your writing process?

HU: I write every day. I'm trying to write every day. I'm always looking for ideas, trying to get my antennae out for ideas, inspiration. I'm a really curious person. Sometimes I sit in front of the piano, trying to play what I hear, and then I write. But sometimes when I come back from an event, maybe a concert, maybe a football game, where I've seen some amazing thing, I can get ideas for compositions.

AAJ: In composing, are you at all aware of the influence of Japanese musical traditions? Sources, anything that you might be responding to?

HU: I've never really thought about that when I write. But I'm sure, on some level, that this is present somehow. I'm sure that I must be influenced by so much Japanese folk music because I grew up listening to that and that's where I came from. But the influence is not a conscious one.

AAJ: On Another Mind, the trio of piano, bass, and drums is the core unit, as in much of jazz. What do you think are the expressive possibilities of the trio format?

HU: What I love about the trio format is its rich history. There are so many great trios in the history of jazz. It offers such simple instrumentation, but the orchestral possibilities are so profound. I'm really interested in how I can use each instrument, and there are just so many possiblities.

AAJ: And the musicians can really listen to one another too.

HU: The interplay is incredible.

AAJ: To me, at least, in listening to your CD, I sensed a lot of attention to the order of the pieces'the whole emerges a little like a novel, or play. Did you think much about this?

HU: Oh, I talked about this so much with my producer. I had so many of my own ideas, but she had her ideas too, and we talked about them. We discussed this so much, and it took a long while. This is something I look for and study in the music I listen to. The creation of a unified effect, an atmosphere, is so important.

AAJ: What lies ahead for you now?

HU: I'll be touring a lot now. There were several dates on the east coast during June, and then I'll be playing in the Midwest. Chicago. And after that, on the west coast, California. Later in the summer there's a date at Tanglewood. The tour continues in September, and then in October, I'll be going to Europe. Sometime I would love to go to South America too, but there are no plans now.

AAJ: Will you be touring in Japan too?

HU: I did a small tour there early in June. Only two places, Tokyo and Shizuoka, my hometown. My parents live in Shizuoka, so that is still my home. Right now I have no idea if I'll return to live in Japan permanently. At this time I would like to continue to stay in the States as much as I can. I meet so many amazing musicians here. I really like the creative atmopshere. I like the food in Japan better, but I'll be staying in the States for now.

AAJ: I know that someday you would like to write an extended piece, a piano concerto. Do you think this is something you'll do soon?

HU: I'm writing a lot of sketches, pieces. I think this will take a long time to write. I'm writing a lot for orchestra now, but I'm not satisfied with that yet. But it is definitely my dream'someday.