Pianist Hiromi Uehara studied classical music and wrote jingles in her native Japan, was mentored by the late jazz genius Ahmad Jamal at Berklee College of Music, and has had a prolific career, releasing over a dozen records, joining bass monster Stanley Clarke’s band, and scoring a No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart with 2016’s Spark. Uehara’s most recent album, Sonicwonderland, finds her exploring jazz funk fusion with synthesizers, electric pianos, and a crack band featuring trumpet star Adam O’Farrill. “Jazz funk” may be a bad word in some circles, but Hiromi’s joyful attack silences haters with ease. – Michael Toland
