The Perth International Jazz Festival kicked off Friday night, boasting a line-up of esteemed international jazz musicians. Opening the festival with a sold-out Perth debut was Grammy Award-winning pianist Hiromi: The Piano Quintet, featuring New York’s PUBLIQuartet.
If this show is any indication of what’s to come over the next nine days, Perth audiences are in for a thrilling journey through theatrical and subversive music.
Originally from Japan, Hiromi is known globally for her radical blend of jazz, funk and classical music. Supported by Grammy-nominated PUBLIQuartet, who brought a grounded spontaneity to the performance, Hiromi delivered a set-list full of energetic, emotional, improvisational sound. The talent of The Piano Quintet didn’t go unnoticed, earning a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the night.
Hiromi opened the show with an original, Jumpstart, from her 2021 album Silver Lining Suite. The piece set the tone for the rest of the show, with its high-energy and rhythmic complexity.
The diverse audience was invited to relax and enjoy themselves as they watched the onstage journey unfold, appreciating the virtuosic artistry. You certainly didn’t have to be a keen music fan to pick up what they were putting down.
Proceeding Jumpstart was her four-part Silver Lining Suite: Isolation, The Unknown, Drifters and Fortitude. Composed during the COVID pandemic, it was emotionally charged and vulnerable, reflecting a relatable state of uncertainty.
Her body language and facial expressions elevated the performance in a radical way. The audience was transfixed watching Hiromi bend over the piano, her neck craned and hair brushing the music stand. The music seemed to be playing her.
During the performance, Hiromi herself became a character to fall in love with. The audience was hooked on her every move, her cheeky facial expressions, posture, the way she interacted with the piano, and moments of raw vocalisation.
Her comedic timing took the performance from a straightforward jazz recital to a theatrical masterpiece. She toyed with the audience with a playful intelligence, prompting multiple moments of audible laughter. Her intimate relationship with the piano could be felt as she quite literally played every part of the instrument, leaving the question of whether the piano is a string or percussion instrument unanswered.
The latter half of the set took on a playful, explorative tone, as Hiromi performed her renowned reimagining of The Beatles’ Blackbird. Hiromi maintained an intimate relationship with the audience, her soft-spoken humour demonstrated when she said, “That was Blackbird. Almost. Kind of.”
PUBLIQuartet then performed their latest unreleased song, Hip Hop Etude no. 10 in C# minor by Daniel Bernard Roumain. It’s a groovy, spirited piece; Hiromi was in as much awe as the rest of us.
The night concluded with electric improvisations from each musician. Together, Hiromi and PUBLIQuartet displayed faultless syncopation and wordless communication as they demonstrated a masterful ability to test the boundaries of the classical and jazz genres and their instruments. It was touching to see the musicians support each other on stage and thoroughly enjoy themselves.
The joyous live music, paired with the theatrical performativity of Hiromi: The Piano Quintet featuring PUBLIQuartet made the opening night of the Perth International Jazz Festival an unforgettable one.
Hiromi: The Piano Quintet featuring PUBLIQuartet performed at the 2025 Perth International Jazz Festival as part of an Australian tour.
They are performing next in Melbourne on 26 October, and Adelaide on 28 October as part of OzAsia Festival.
Tickets: https://perthjazzfest.com/events/
Website: https://perthjazzfest.com/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/perthjazzfestival/ and https://www.instagram.com/hiromimusic/
Photo credits: Corey James
