Stanley Clarke-Hiromi Duo at SFJAZZ

Stanley Clarke-Hiromi Duo
SFJAZZ Center
San Francisco, CA
September 6, 2024

Oh, the expectation for such an incredible bill—two musical giants—consummate bassist Stanley Clarke and pianist extraordinaire Hiromi (Uehara). It is one thing to hear them together on YouTube. It is quite another to catch them live, but there they were: performing live and together at SFJAZZ.

Clad in a white shirt, black vest, and matching black pants, Clarke appeared whimsically professorial in bearing, always seeming on the verge of laughter with his barely contained smile. His erudite-looking rimless specs were the finishing touch. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Clarke has had a storied musical career during which he worked with a plethora of jazz greats, including Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Tony Williams, Art Blakey, and many more. He is a five-time Grammy Award winner with 15 nominations and a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship in 2022.

Tokyo-born Hiromi was recognized and invited to play with Chick Corea while in her teens. Soon after, she emigrated to the States to attend and graduate from the Berklee School of Music in Boston. On this night, Hiromi was vividly but tastefully attired in a multi-colored layer cake muu-muu that allowed her slender body space for her high-energy movements. The wild hair atop her head resembled a sizeable ruffled bird's nest, and she wore sparkly black sneakers. She mostly hunched over the Yamaha grand piano as she played but sometimes jumped up to standing dancing positions. She had many bright moments during her up-tempo pieces that manifested a carefree love for her instrument.

The first (unnamed) tune was a bright, spirited, up-tempo composition with Hiromi playing a hard-driving, rapid string of arpeggio-laced figures during her solo—all while exuding her inimitable energetic style and grace. Clarke accompanied with waves of soulful plucks and thumps that, over time, drifted into a hot, butt-kicking solo, after which Hiromi re-entered to take the piece out.

The next tune, Clarke's "Paradigm Shift," displayed both musicians' sense of texture and dynamics. Clark took a beautiful solo with his bow, and Hiromi went from a gentle whisper to an all-out wail on her keys. The next piece began as a ballad but soon transitioned into a near-formal Argentine Tango, a thrilling but fitting departure from the rest of the set. This was followed by a piece featuring Hiromi employing the "Harlem Stride" technique and later displaying her incredible "Ahmad Jamal-like" light-touch gifts.

Stanley Clarke co-founded Return to Forever, so it was no wonder the duo later launched into Chick Corea's "Spain," in which they played the tricky head up-tempo and perfectly in synch.

Hiromi is an enchanting, supernal presence, while Clarke is an earthy foundational one. Their exquisitely attuned interplay was captivating and intoxicating.

After the set's final note, the audience instantly leapt to its feet in one of the most deserved standing ovations this reviewer has ever witnessed. As you would expect, of necessity, a fine encore ensued. They left it all on the stage, and everyone knew it. Let's hope for more duo performances by this stunning pair of virtuosi.