Hiromi hypnotized her Phoenix audiences with melodies

Don’t let her amazing, tousled hair distract you. Or her cool, loose Japanese fashion. Or that contagious smile that seems to come from some inner groove. Instead, look at the precision of the hand, and the sense of harmony in her music.

Hiromi Uehara will actually not allow you to be distracted. Within seconds, she traps your attention.

Playing on Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3, at Phoenix’s magnificent Musical Instrument Museum theater, Uehara arrived not simply as a pianist, but as the magnetic musical force that has made her popular. 

Part jazz virtuoso, part energized entertainer, her fingers never seem to stop moving, racing across keys with impossible speed and precision, yet always with a certain wit and a sense of play. She is the heir to Japan’s deep jazz tradition, carrying forward the sleek jazz-funk cool of pioneers like Hiroshi Suzuki, while pushing it somewhere entirely new. 

Uehara had already secured a record deal before graduating from Berklee College of Music, and early in her career she had already worked with jazz giants like Chick Corea. A few years ago, she was selected as one of the main acts during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and she composed the acclaimed soundtrack for “Blue Giant,” a jazz-themed anime with a score only rivaled by the classic “Cowboy Bebop.” Her NPR Tiny Desk Concert performance has drawn millions of views online.

Now, she tours backed by Sonicwonder — her dream team, featuring trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, heir to the legendary Latin jazz O’Farrill dynasty; bass genius (and, according to his social media, retired porn actor) Hadrien Feraud; and Gene Coye, the fun-to-funk engine behind the drums.

Call it acid jazz with bebop bones, progressive rock textures and fusion swagger. However you want to define it, Uehara unleashed a celebratory sound perfect for a weekend sonic treat.

She moved seamlessly from her grand Yamaha piano — a favorite by late Japanese maestro Ryuichi Sakamoto — to her bright red Roland Nord synthesizers, conjuring traditional bop with spacey funk. Meanwhile, O’Farrill plays along in perfect sync, using effects pedals on trumpet, bending notes into textures that felt futuristic and ghostly.

At some point, the quartet played the four movements of the piece “Out There” nonstop, like a challenge to modern attention spans, as if Uehara were personally fighting against the fractured focus created by phones, streaming, and endless scrolling. “I hope you are ready,” she told the audience. 

And the audience was.

She closed with “Balloon Pop,” a playful, chirping groove with hints of J-pop sweetness wrapped inside muscular jazz phrasing — a funny, irresistible finale that left the room buzzing.

So yes, never mind the cool looks and fantastic attitude. Hiromi Uehara will keep you hypnotized with her melodies.