Pianist and composer Hiromi Uehara, whose passionate and incendiary keyboard work has been a shining light on the jazz landscape since her 2003 debut, believes that the voice that never speaks can sometimes be the most powerful of all. Her newest release, a nine-song trio recording simply titled Voice, expresses a range of human emotions without the aid of a single lyric.

"When I play music, I realize that it really filters emotions," says Hiromi. "I called this album Voice because I believe that people's real voices are expressed in their emotions. It's not something that you really say. It's more something that you have in your heart. Maybe it's something you haven't said yet. Maybe you're never going to say it. But it's your true voice. Instrumental music is very similar. We don't have any words or any lyrics to go with it. It's the true voice that we don't really put into words, but we feel it when it's real."

Although a mesmerizing instrumentalist in her own right, Hiromi enlists the aid of two equally formidable players for this project - bassist Anthony Jackson (Paul Simon, The O'Jays, Steely Dan, Chick Corea) and drummer Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who, Judas Priest, David Gilmour, Jack Bruce). Jackson had previously played on a couple tracks from each of Hiromi's first two albums - Another Mind in 2003 and Brain in 2004 - but they had never recorded an entire album together. "I've always been a huge fan of his bass playing," she says. "I've always liked playing with him, and I was very happy that we finally had the chance to make an entire album together."

Taken as a whole, the individual tracks on Voice do tell a story, says Hiromi, but she's quick to note that the story is open-ended and subject to interpretations. "I'm not talking about a story in the sense of a novel," she says. "People can just listen to it and decide how it reflects their own lives. They can just imagine whatever the music makes them imagine. That's the beautiful thing about music without words. It's just a matter of using your imagination, finding your own voice within the music, and traveling with it wherever it takes you."

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Hiromi's Sonicbloom Live in Concert recorded in December 2007 at the Toky International Forum Hall and winner of the 2008 Jazz Video Award in Swing Journal Magazine features the same rhythm section of Grey and Valihora, but also includes the unique sound of guitarist David Fuze Fiuczynski. All four musicians played together as Hiromi's Sonicbloom on the pianist's two most recent studio recordings, Time Control (2007) and Beyond Standard (2008), prompting JazzTimes to call them a quartet of fusionistas in Deep Purple mode. Armed with a double necked guitar (one neck fretted and the other fretless), Fiuczynski whose credits include work with John Medeski, John Zorn, and his own Screaming Headless Torsos quartet brings to the party an edgy, pyrotechnic counterpoint to Hiromi's daring andhighly expressive piano work.

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Hiromi's supergroup, Sonicbloom, has shattered the formula of making records written solely by the celebrated pianist/composer. Their latest outing, "Beyond Standard," finds Tony Grey (bass), Martin Valihora (drums), and Dave "Fuze" Fiuczynski (guitar and otherworldly sounds) helping Hiromi craft unique versions of familiar tunes such as Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm," Rogers & Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things" and even Jeff Beck's "Led Boots."

The group has been recognized for its energetic virtuosity by music industry and mainstream publications alike: Downbeat, JazzTimes, Keyboard, and The New York Times. Playing festivals such as Glastonbury, Fuji Rock, and Playboy Jazz proves that Hiromi's unique fusion nuevo has been accepted in the world of jazz as well as rock. "Beyond Standard" is a showcase for Hiromi and her band's abilities, with each player getting plenty of room to shine.

While most of the music on the album was penned by songwriters other than Hiromi, the album as a whole is a continuation of her previous release, "Time Control" (2007). "Beyond Standard" starts with a quick "Intro" that includes the popping and scratching sounds of a vinyl record, a signal that what you are about to hear are retro compositions performed in an updated and unique way. The music starts with an extension of her original tune, "Time's Up," the final track on "Time Control." Hiromi then gives a dramatic voicing to the theme of "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise." As the tune progresses, she and Fiuczynski trade some very playful fours, and Valihora takes a fresh approach, occasionally giving a backbeat to the jazz standard.

In keeping with her defiance of easy categorization, Hiromi then covers Debussy's eternally famous "Claire de Lune," followed by the driving jazz standard, "Caravan," written by Juan Tizol and made famous by Duke Ellington. Hiromi's rendition has an almost Zappa-esque feel with a heart-pumping drum solo.

Paying homage to the legendary Jeff Beck, the group covers "Led Boots," with Hiromi's keyboards sounding very much like the whah-whah effect on a guitar. In a complete 180, the band follows the Beck tune with Rogers & Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things," a song from the stage and film versions of The Sound of Music that later became jazz standard repertoire thanks to John Coltrane.

"Ue Wo Muite Aruko" ("I Look Up When I Walk") was the only Japanese pop song to make it to #1 on the American pop charts. The song was released in Japan in 1961 and in the United States in 1963. Hiromi takes the still popular song and turns it into a funky explosion.

"XYG" is Hiromi covering Hiromi. The track is an in-your-face adaptation of the song of the same name from her 2003 debut album, with the addition of Fiuczynski's roaring guitar. The album closes with Hiromi on solo piano, putting her spice on the Gershwin classic, "I Got Rhythm." She begins the tune with a playful, delicate touch that escalates to a landslide with bone-breaking riffs.

Includes Japan only bonus track "Big Chill"

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Among those artists currently reinventing the jazz piano trio--such as E.S.T. and The Bad Plus--Hiromi is rapidly moving to the forefront. A protégé of Ahmad Jamal who played in duet with Chick Corea when she was 17, Hiromi's influences are very broad--Beethoven and Debussy somehow align with P-Funk. Part of her success lies in her skill with electronics, evident in the pulsing rhythmic overlays of "Kung-Fu World Champion" or the strange, calliope-like sound that announces the theme of "Brain." But it's her consummate piano playing that ties all of the threads together, whether it's the impressionist-flavored solo of "Green Tea Farm" or the bustling runs and charging interplay that she leads on "Desert of the Moon" with bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Martin Valihora. Hiromi practices an art of surprise, touching on video-game tempos and Bill Evans harmonies as she arranges tradition and novelty in fresh configurations. --Stuart Broomer