Tag: Piano Solo

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Hideyuki Hashimoto is Japanese pianist composer who lives in a local city, Kagawa. He released his original piano solo pieces played by himself only. His characteristics in his compositions and recordings, is Japanese oriental and calm taste coexist with a stateless apathetic mood. And it in his piano playings, is simple and minimal number of tones and delicate and gentle touches.

Solo Albums

Earth (nlart, 2012)

Hideyuki Hashimoto’s debut album. It is conceited of 14 short piano pieces, and they are all piano solo recordings.

The compositions and piano playings of this album is very fresh, sweet, cute, innocent and relaxing, also there are bits of melancholy and apathy. There’s a Japanese oriental or peaceful atmosphere and the songs can make only by a Japanese, but it coexist worldwide common sense and eternity. The entire mood of this album is refreshing, pure, innocent and transparent like a clear water splash of the album cover.

“Naoshima” is his representative song and the best composition of him, I think. The song represents a small beautiful island of Kagawa in Seto Inland Sea. It’s a very sweet, beautiful and relaxing song, and a simple, short but perfect composition.

“Pop” is a melancholic but refreshing good song. “Earth” is a sweet song also in which exists full of mercy.

A very nice album of today’s Post-classical music.

Air (nlart, 2012)

Hideyuki Hashimoto’s second album released in 2012. A 14 tracked piano solo album. The feature of this album is the piano improvisation.

As compare with the first album “Earth”, the compositions and playings of piano are vague, ennui, plain, neutral and improvisational also there are apathetic mood and bit of melancholic mood. The songs connect the minimalism of Erik Satie, Federico Mompou and Isaac Albéniz.

A good work is made up by simple and improvisational piano miniatures.

Home (nlart, 2014)

A piano solo album released in 2014. The recording was held in an abandoned elemental school by an abandoned uplight piano like a field recording. The sound make use of the environment and the piano, includes creaks of piano and floor, environmental noises.

The album consists of 24 tracks, so the album may express a passage of a day. In the earlier tracks I hear singing of birds. The later tracks there’s chirping of insects.

The compositions are simple but delicate, short piano miniatures. The piano plays are fragmental, fragile, organic, ennui and improvisational. The entire mood of album are ennui, natural and ambiguous, but original and impressive.

“Toki” (Time) is a song of a development of patterns of sentimental melodies.

“Taiwa” (Talking) is a song like a mother goose but sophisticated.

“Manabiya” (Building of School) is the best composition of this album. I feel a mood of before going to bed and a moonlight room.

“Spring” is also a good composition. A sweet and precious song.

A warm, tender and relaxing music for our daily life.

Room (nlart, NLA005, 2017)

Hideyuki Hashimoto’s piano solo album released in 2017, this album is the pair with “Out Room” released simultaneously.

A very sensitive and delicate music. Hashimoto weaved note one by one, touched a piano keys carefully one by one. The piano sound is pure and clear. Opposite to the former album “Home”, in this album there’s no environmental noise, the recording is a pure home recording with two microphones. Compositions and the recording are simple, pure and transparent also apathetic (in a good meaning).

There’s no specific song I want to mention. This album has a private and intimate mood, is suitable for relaxing, cure and rest in a room.

Out Room (nlart, NLA006, 2017)

A piano solo album by Hideyuki Hashimoto, simultaneously released the “pair album”, “Room”. The 16 tracked album, almost tracks are studio recording, some tracks are live recording. Each song is longer than “Room” and his previous works.

It’s the dynamic, orthodox and intense album as for Hashimoto. The composition and arrangement of songs are relatively orthodox and high tempo. The half of songs have clear melodies. The piano touches are more powerful than usual, and left hand accompaniments are common backing and arpeggio patterns.

“odoriko” (Dancer) is a vivid also sensitive song.

“moca” is simple, middle-tempo good song has an ennui and Japanese oriental mood.

“fuji” is a short but highly completed song equal to his master piece “Naoshima”. But it’s dynamic and cheerful than the song.

“hibiki” (Echo) and “blue” are impressive songs by pentatonic scale has favorable oriental taste, also cheerful and sophisticated.

The most orthodox, full-scale, dynamic and intense album by Hashimoto since now (July 2023), but it’s pure, sensitive and transparent. I recommend this album who like Ryuichi Sakamoto, George Winston and “Spazieren” by Henning Schmiedt.

april (nlart, 2020)

A three tracked EP is consist of simple improvisational, neutral, colourless and apathetic also relaxing songs. In this EP, there are Japanese stateless (neither Western nor Eastern) mood. The songs are unique and pure. They can be made by Hashimoto only.

Recordings of the “April” series held in April 2020.

april – tree (nlart, 2020)

A twelve tracked piano solo album. Whole mood is slow and relaxing, and there’s Japanese oriental taste.

The sound and tone of upright piano is clear and warm. Compositions are simple, sweet and tender also bit sentimental. The piano plays are delicate and stable, but in some songs, they are floating, fragmental and sweet but keeps the Japanese taste.

He expressed refreshing, bright but sentimental atmosphere of April or spring in Japan by this album. And he found his new aspect of expression.

april – water (nlart, 2020)

A nine tracked album of fragmental and improvisational piano solo short pieces. The notes are few, and the piano plays make good use of harmony. There’s no obvious melody, the songs are floating and swing, I feel the air of April or spring, it’s associated with Japanese tender spring atmosphere. Very relaxing, cheerful and pretty album.

breath (nlart, 2020)

“breath” is sixth piano solo album of Hideyuki Hashimoto released in 2020.

This album is a set of four types of recordings. The one is the improvisational short piano fragments. The two is “OR” series, the minimal improvisational songs by the evolvements of (a) pattern(s). The three is his iconic simple, gentle, pure and sentimental compositions. The four is live recordings of his works.

This album was constructed like a show or a concert. You can experience the usual and new musical sphere of Hashimoto.

For (nlart, 2022)

A six tracked album or EP. The song titles are simply named “For” plus a “track number”.

Simple and delicate music is composed by few notes, for the everyday and relaxing. Neutral and apathetic and bit oriental mood is made by to make use of 7th chords.

Piano Room (nlart, 2022)

This album is “Hashimoto’s home studio live album.”

The key touch noises, hummer noises, pedal noises and environmental echo is very heart-warming, cheerful and funny.

His piano plays are relaxing and delicate. I can feel the space and intervals of tones and compositions, his breath and physical existence and movings and touches of fingers.

A very warm, refreshing and intimate mood album.

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