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Jazz Articles about Kayo Hiraki
Kayo Hiraki: Manhattan Sunset
by Mike Jurkovic
Like a fine lemon sorbet, Manhattan Sunset, the sixth album from pianist and veteran NY presence Kayo Hiraki, is that refreshing, necessary pause between courses that enables you to fully enjoy the vast jazz menu. With an airy, elegant touch, tangible zeal and seasoned respect for her art, Hiraki leads her tried-and-true sidemen, bassist Patrick O'Leary, drummer Eric Halvorson and guests saxophonist Nick Hempton, acclaimed guitarist Russell Malone and Italian harmonica player Giuseppi Millici (whose playing flows like ...
read moreKayo: I Wish You Love
by Dan Bilawsky
Should jazz challenge conventions or uphold traditions? While opinions vary on this matter, pianist Kayo Hiraki leans toward the latter school of thought on this all-standards affair. As the daughter of a classical pianist, Hiraki had music flowing through her veins at birth and proved to be a child piano prodigy. She honed her craft at the renowned Kunitachi Music College in Japan, came stateside in 1988 and developed her artistry through studies with the great Barry Harris and Larry ...
read moreKayo Hiraki: I Wish You Love
by C. Michael Bailey
Japanese pianist Kayo Hiraki is in search of her audience. She has self-released a smart set of standards in the trio format that is garnering attention from all quarters of the jazz writing world. A ballad specialist, to be sure, Hiraki resists the modern impulse to deconstruct, keeping the tunes intact and in congress with the composers' intentions. To have been composed by a horn player, Lee Morgan's balladic “Ceora" translates well to the standard jazz piano ...
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