Pianist Hideaki Hori lets his dexterous fingers do the talking on In My Words from 2010, a solid jazz trio record from Japan.

Hori leads a bright, swinging trio on this jazz record, full of high-energy peaks and steady grooves. Extremely nimble in his playing, Hori’s clearly executed phrases fill his improvisation with exciting patterns and curlicues, urged on by the propulsive anchor of rhythm section members Daiki Yasukagawa on bass and Gene Jackson on drums.

While this is Hori’s third album as leader, In My Words is his first exclusively piano trio album, a great opportunity to honor one of his idols, the pianist Kenny Kirkland. Similar to the album title, the last tune “Another ‘Words’” references an earlier song of Hori’s called “The Words of Mr. Kenny K.”, a tribute to Kenny Kirkland, who is obviously a huge influence in his personal style and a jazz giant whom he appreciates greatly. The listener may recognize the impact in Hori’s amazing playing as well. Highly talented yet not overly flashy, Hori, ever gracious, also leaves plenty of room for his sidemen to shine, with rousing bass solos and drum features, such as the heavy groove riff and drum improvisation on “Form”.

Hori’s songwriting is also on display, with six originals (the crowd favorite “Winter Waltz” being a highlight) and three rearranged covers: “This Is New”, “Take The A Train”, and “So Near, So Far”.

In My Words by Hideaki Hori Trio

• Hideaki Hori - piano
• Daiki Yasukagawa - bass
• Gene Jackson - drums

Released in 2010 on Daiki Musica as DMCD-06.

Japanese names: 堀秀彰 Hori Hideaki 安ヵ川大樹 Yasukagawa Daiki

Audio and Video

• Audio for track #7, “Winter Waltz”:

• Excerpt from track #1: “This is New”

Jazz of Japan #90 • Jan 17, 2020 • Brian McCrory