Karolis B.
As usual, Miho exceeds the expected result with the mastery of her compositions both technically and artistically. With the amazing musicians of Danish Radio Big Band, the album is an absolute delight!
Sven B. Schreiber (sbs)
Lately I've become a big band jazz fan, because quite a few new composers appeared on the scene, who do a brilliant job. Miho Hazama is one of them, and her most recent album is another good example of how the big band sound can be made a fun thing.
Favorite track: Home.
Imaginary Visions is the visionary new album from Grammy-nominated conductor and composer Miho Hazama, featuring The Danish Radio Big Band – one of the leading jazz ensembles in Europe.
For Miho, this album represents a new era as part of a growing and blossoming international career.
“This is a significant milestone-moment for me. Since I have a classical music background, my brain sound has been more symphonic. However, The Danish Radio Big Band changed my perspective. They are so open and enthusiastic to new music. They can play diverse music with organic flow. I am extremely excited to work on this album”
One might expect Miho to struggle with identity: a Japanese musician working in New York and Europe, a classically trained composer with a love of jazz and modern composition, but in fact she doesn’t think about identity – working with people and with music she likes is the important thing.
However the need to “make everything comfortable between people”, to balance the cultural values and musical demands of her work, feeds into her identity as a composer working in these different cultural and musical environments. Her ability to balance her own musical interests with outfits as different as the Metropole Orkest, The Danish Radio Big Band and her New York ‘chamber group’ m_unit symbolises her ability to square the identity circle.
“I live for music”, she says. “My hobby is to go to music shows, I always listen to music, I like to talk about music. Doing something that I like for myself and hoping that this is inspiring and encouraging to others”, this is Miho’s creed.
In 2019, Miho took up a post as the chief conductor of Danish Radio Big Band (DRBB) following in the footsteps of Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer and Jim McNeely (all early influences on Miho’s composing). Imaginary Visions is the first album with the DRBB to feature her compositions exclusively, and so is a career defining statement of her huge talent.
“These compositions are hugely inspired by DRBB members; their tone color, character of playing, strength, uniqueness and authenticity. Also, these are secretly inspired by compositions from the former chief conductors (music directors) of DRBB, such as Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer and JimMcNeely. Studying their compositions definitely made me remember their ways of harmony construction, music vibes, forms, rhythmic motives, orchestrations and composition/harmonization ideas. It’s not obvious “copy and paste”, but it is more of my way to explore and digest these master-composers’ ideas.”
credits
released September 24, 2021
Produced by Miho Hazama
Executive Producer: Dave Stapleton for Edition Records, Birger Carlsen for Danish Radio Big Band, Hiroaki G Muramatsu for JamRice Inc.
Recording & Editing engineer: Lars C. Bruun
Recording director: Morten Büchert
Mixed on April 6th-8th, 2021 at Sear Sound NYC, New York, NY, USA
Mixing engineer: Chris Allen
Assistant engineer: Steven Sacco
Mastered on April 20th, 2021 at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, NJ, USA
Mastering engineer: Greg Calbi & Steve Fallone
Photography: Agnete Schlichtkrull, Nicolas Koch Futtrup
supported by 38 fans who also own “Imaginary Visions”
Linda playing and directing this great composition in collaborating with these great musicians is such a colorful musical adventure for my ears & eyes, Thank you! 1bigfan
A diverse collection culled from the archive of jazz pianist Joe Castro featuring Paul Bley, Leroy Vinnegar, Paul Chambers, and many more. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 9, 2020