I’m Missing You is the prolific composer’s first album, which quickly sold out as she was gaining recognition for her distinctive jazz piano compositional style, a novel approach that melded her Japanese classical musical training, studies in jazz piano, and her affection for European modern jazz. The original 2004 album contained eight songs, all composed by Nishiyama, and was re-released in 2007 with three bonus tracks from around the same period. It came to be regarded as her breakthrough first trio recording, released 20 years before her latest CD Echo, and with more than two dozen albums released in between.

On I’m Missing You, her strong sense of composition for a piano trio jazz setting is already apparent. Her characteristic harmonies, melodies, section changes, and moderately, tastefully used brief polyrhythms and syncopated shifts evoke emotions and hook listeners, carrying them along through adventurous paths filled with medium tempos based on warm grounding bass, brushed drums, and intricate piano solos.

The different songs on this album share a lot of similarities in feel overall, acting like an album-length extended suite filled with Nishiyama’s lovely melodies, delicate touch, and the classical-sounding elements of lightly nimble scales, arpeggios, ornamentation in her improvisation. Along with the jazz improvisation, focus is also often drawn to the modulating key signatures illustrated by the reassuring drums and bass frameworks in straight-eighth 3/4 or 4/4 time. There is a minor-key feel to much of the music; even the major-key sections seem to possess a minor quality. But this is not painful sadness as in agony, but a tender soreness that’s almost a comfort, or the feeling of I’m missing you that invokes the person sweetly along with the ache. At the same time, the essential spice of upliftingly powerful major-key shifts at the right times serve as the bright rays of light, however temporary, in a mostly moody world.

For interested pianists and jazz musicians, Nishiyama also graciously provides simplified piano charts for some of her original songs in the Extra area of her website. This includes charts for “Blue Nowhere”, “Epigraph”, and “Passato”, three absolute highlights from I’m Missing You.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Hitomi Nishiyama’s and Hiroki Sugita’s original Japanese liner notes.)

I’m Missing You | Hitomi Nishiyama Trio

In 2004, a short while after this album was released, a person said to me “We played this song at our relative’s funeral.” I was moved to tears with feelings I didn’t quite understand.

After some time had passed, I thought composedly about the fact that someone, at a very important time with their loved ones, had wanted to say their final farewells as they were sending someone off with this song. As a musician, it was a blessing to hear. Although I knew that what I had created may have been artless, self-indulgent, and insignificant, a feeling was present that there are some people that may need me in some way. It must be a natural human emotion.

From the simple decision to start recording in my early twenties, the result of this emotional experience as a musician may have been the greatest asset produced by this early recording. Although the recording is full of shortcomings, I am extremely happy that this work, one that is so important to me personally and is a snapshot of myself at the time, is being re-released.

Three additional songs not related to the original release are also included. We’re a young trio that started from the Yokohama Jazz Promenade competition, through to this recording, and on to many experiences after that. I hope you enjoy these previously unreleased recordings from that time.

—Hitomi Nishiyama

This is a long-awaited re-release. Hitomi Nishiyama’s first trio album as a leader, self-produced, recorded, and released in 2004, was discontinued in 2007 when the album sold out. In 2006, Cubium, her first album for Spice of Life, was released. It was recorded with some highly-respected Swedish musicians in Stockholm and helped her to gather attention in this unprecedented setting for a young Japanese pianist. This event spurred sales of the original self-released recording, which led to selling out of all copies of that album. Yet, as often happens in the world, the desire for something not in circulation led to the phenomenon of used copies commanding higher prices in secondhand markets. The prices continued to rise as Hitomi Nishiyama’s popularity continued to grow. While original pressings of CDs, as with LPs, have their own intrinsic value, it goes without saying that it’s a good thing if the “music software”, even rare recordings, could always be available to be purchased at reasonable prices. The fact that this original recording is being released again after seven years is undoubtedly good news to many fans.

Hitomi Nishiyama was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1979 and started studying classical piano at the age of six. She first encountered jazz in her third year of high school. Her curiosity was triggered by listening to albums by Bill Evans and Chick Corea, and she continued on to take jazz piano classes at Osaka Junior College of Music. While studying, she started to engage in performances and hone her basic skills. The turning point for her career came after graduation when she discovered Enrico Pieranunzi. She became fascinated by the Italian master, studying his compositions thoroughly and incorporating his music into her own repertoire. This led to a style that was rare in Japan, becoming a boon to Nishiyama and Enrico Pieranunzi both. Nishiyama had been conducting live performing centered around her original songs since 2003 and was someone who wasn’t yet well-known among the general public at the time. Still, the following year, she felt the desire to record an album of all original songs as an account of who she was at the time. I heard from Nishiyama that she still had a special attachment for this album and would like to reissue it in some form, so I am pleased that this marriage with DIW Records has resulted in a commemorative release of this cherished album. The original album seemed to invite good fortune, and the following year the group was awarded the Grand Prix at the 2005 Yokohama Jazz Promenade Competition. This was a boost to her career and led to the album Cubium mentioned earlier. Her first independent release album was in August 2004, and her first recording in Stockholm was in May 2006. In just under two years, she had progressed to the next level with expanded horizons opening up. In 2007, her second Stockholm recording, Many Seasons, was released. I was able to accompany her then as a journalist gathering material. The release of In Stockholm, a live recording made at the same time, and Parallax, a recording with her regular Japanese trio with an additional member, resulted in four albums being produced by Spice of Life within two years. During that time, she moved her base of operations to Tokyo, and her experience was broadened and deepened through interactions with many other musicians. Her accumulated efforts in composing music resulted in the honor of winning third place in the International Songwriting Competition 2009 (USA) in the jazz category for her song “Unfolding Universe”, demonstrating her world-class ability in composition.

This album opens with “This I Promise You” and its theme of key changes and repeated modulation, followed by the gracefully melodic “Passato”, a story emerging from the motif of “Blue Nowhere”, and continues on to convey Nishiyama’s sincere admiration for Enrico Pieranunzi in “Epigraph”. The beautiful melodies continue in “Sand Castle” where time flows freely, leaving a particularly strong impression of her excellent sense of composition. This reissue also includes three bonus tracks, previously unreleased trio performances from the Jazz Promenade event. This marks the point where Hitomi Nishiyama’s distinctive talent started to bloom.

—Hiroki Sugita, June 2011

Obi Notes

Pianist/composer Hitomi Nishiyama achieved the great honor of placing third in the International Songwriting Competition 2009 (ISC), one of the world’s largest composition contests. Her first album I’m Missing You, considered to be the origin of her career and international recognition, is finally here!

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• A later recording of #3 “Blue Nowhere” from Hitomi Nishiyama’s “Parallax” album (2008):

• A later recording of #4 “Everytime It Rains” from Hitomi Nishiyama’s “The Tree of Life” album (2019):

• A later recording of #7 “Epigraph” from Hitomi Nishiyama’s “Down by the Salley Gardens” album (2014):

• A later recording of #11 “Aprilis” from Hitomi Nishiyama’s “Parallax” album (2008):

• Excerpt from track #8: “I’m missing you”

With Toys, Kuribayashi plays nine tracks on the forty-eight-minute album, with five of her own songs and four beloved covers arranged together in a lively display of her musical vision. Whatever Toys may mean as a concept title (hinted at in the Obi Notes), it’s a playful album that works as a perfect medium for her musical worldview.

Some of the most melodically striking and immediately felt songs on the album are Kuribayashi’s own originals. Of these five songs, “Forest and an Elf” is fluid and magical, “Grand Line” is busy yet delicate, “Flying Toys” is sparkling and exciting, “W.M.P.” is bluesily modal and modern, and “Somethin’ Warm” is patient, pretty, and sincere. The medium tempo and straight-eights time feel color the songs with modern finesse and understated power. What’s clear in each is that Kuribayashi thinks through her compositions, not only the mechanics of structure and form, but how she wants them to imaginatively feel, how the players should think about them, and where she wants them to go.

Her selection of the four cover songs also demonstrates her consideration for balance and respect. She brings together songs from distinct planes of influence, from the worldwide megapop stars U2, to the sweet lyricism of Bill Evans, to the current-day Japanese vibraphonist and musical peer Reiko Yamamoto, to a deep cut from the much-loved bop pianist Sonny Clark.

“I Still Don’t Know What I’m Looking For” is down-home groovy, “Letter to Evan” is comfortably plush, “That Blue Bird” is tender and engrossing, and “Minor Meeting”, as the last cut on the album, hooks listeners and leaves them ready to hear more from Sumire Kuribayashi’s toy trove.

Liner Notes

(Translated from an excerpt of jazz writer Fumiaki Fujimoto’s section of the original Japanese liner notes.)

This debut CD is a perfect package for this lady’s charm. What surprised me during my first listen was how this whole album was overflowing with songs. The variety of the included songs is richly diverse, but each song is decorated with catchy and colorful melodies that are exclusively Sumire Kuribayashi’s own.

Particularly wonderful are the five original compositions. The dusky lyricism delicately woven in “Forest and an Elf”. The splendid, thrilling trio sound racing through “Grand Line”. The instinctive lifting of spirits by the invigorating “Flying Toys”. The geometrical theme on “W.M.P.”, allowing glimpses of another side of the composer. The simple and nostalgic theme that evokes quiet emotion on “Somethin’ Warm”… These songs and performances can really be seen as a crystallization of her current inner voice. The other songs are similarly good. U2, Bill Evans, Reiko Yamamoto, Sonny Clark… Her performances of their songs as covers convey her boundless love and respect for these composers, and are filled with her determination to take up challenges.

Perhaps crossed-arm critics will bemoan a lack of mind-blowing originality or astonishing technique on display. But I think that Sumire Kuribayashi’s vividly projected light certainly shines toward the future of jazz.

(The following is translated from Sumire Kuribayashi’s section of the original Japanese liner notes.)

01. Forest and an Elf (Sumire Kuribayashi)

This is a song created with a lot of inspiration drawn from pianist Aaron Parks. I was really moved when I went to his solo piano concert, where his music seemed to be resonating deep in a forest. Even when he walks down the street, he seems to be lightly floating like a woodland spirit.

This song has a lot of sections, and I made an effort to have the parts flow together seamlessly so as not to feel like a patchwork. I was having difficulty explaining this to the rest of the band, but finally, by singing what I meant, I was able to get it down.

02. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (U2)

We decided to record this by thinking “We should try to do a rock cover.” We considered Coldplay, Oasis, Radiohead, and others, but this song by U2 was the best fit for me. Just around that time, I was listening to a lot of Keith Jarrett from the Impulse years, and I tried to arrange it with a little bit of that folksy feel.

03. Grand Line (Sumire Kuribayashi)

Several years ago I went to see a live performance of Taylor Eigsti, Reuben Rogers, and Eric Harland. Eric’s drumming was so cool at that event, and I was so excited that after going home I wrote out this song in a day.

Actually, I love video games, and I’ve been hoping that someday I could write a majestic song that could appear in that medium. I wonder if this is the sort of song where I’ve created something like that. As I explained the imagery to the band members, they laughed and responded with “This part feels like an airplane speeding off into the wide open sky!” and “This here feels like wandering lost in a cave, then finding some light and escaping!”

*04. Letter to Evan (Bill Evans)*/ (no notes added)/

05. That Blue Bird (Reiko Yamamoto)

This song was written by Reiko Yamamoto and also recorded by our group “sumireiko”. The beautiful and heartfelt melody is just so great. Someone said to me “I’d love to hear this as a piano trio version!”, so I decided to include it this time.

The key is a difficult one, so it was quite a challenge. Also, I was trying to control my touch carefully so that the piano wouldn’t ring out too much. My arms got sore (haha). Perfecting the overall sound of the trio was a hard-won fight with a lot of trial and error, but I think that the struggle made for a nice result with a good feel.

06. Flying Toys (Sumire Kuribayashi)

I still needed one more song for the album and was fretting over it, so I went to my usual bar to change my mood. The owner encouraged me with such strong energy that I was able to write this song in one go. First of all, I wanted to use the name of the place as the song title (haha).

I aimed for a song and performance with a catchy melody sprinting above simple harmonies, sort of like a Pat Metheny idea. The drum solo in the second half is something I begged Takehiro Shimizu for, asking him, please just beat it down! I think it’s really cool.

*07. W.M.P. (Sumire Kuribayashi) */(no notes added)/

08. Somethin’ Warm (Sumire Kuribayashi)

This is a ballad I wrote for all those who have supported me up to now and who have listened to this CD. It expresses my appreciation for you all. It’s a simple melody that I play directly and as written, without improvisation. Shinichi Kato takes over the melody on bass partway through, and it’s amazing how his warm and kind personality also really comes through.

09. Minor Meeting (Sonny Clark)

During college, I studied bebop and nothing else. At first, I didn’t quite get it, but now I’ve fallen in love with it. I picked this tune to pay tribute to those beboppers. The thumping, weighty intro is also in my style of sincere respect for what’s sometimes referred to by some as “Black Jazz”. I was feeling a little Oscar Peterson in the middle with the second riff played in unison.

Obi Notes

Playing with the piano, toying with the notes, living in jazz.

Sumire Kuribayashi Trio’s Toys

From the fresh, twenty-first century label “Somethin’ Cool” comes the popular pianist’s genuine debut album, already making waves online with the original song “Forest and an Elf”, and a cover of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”!

Performers: Sumire Kuribayashi (piano), Shinichi Kato (bass), Takehiro Shimizu (drums)

Audio and Video

• Video excerpt from #1 “Forest and an Elf”:

• Live performance of #1 “Forest and an Elf”:

• Video excerpt from #6 “Flying Toys”:

• Live performance of #5 “That Blue Bird”:

• Video excerpt from #2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”:

• Audio for #9 “Minor Meeting”:

• Label page with audio samples

• Excerpt from track #3: “グランド・ライン (Grand Line)”

Recorded live over two nights at the Creole jazz bar in Kobe, the eight songs feature her original compositions plus a rearranged “My Favorite Things”, with a new pulse and layers added to the popular standard.

As always, Nishiyama’s music is graced with a flowing elegance and creativity, displaying elements of European jazz with a searching, driving melodic sense. The listener is treated to odd time signatures, up-tempo jazz, elegiac ballads, some soul and rock structures, all framed in an in-the-moment live jazz setting.

As complex as the compositions may be, the recorded-live aspect brings tangible energy with a raw edge to the extended songs, and also shines a spotlight on the trio’s cohesiveness and ability to respond to each other in the moment, making music as a unit, three minds in parallel.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video featuring the first two tracks, “Heavens Fall” and “Keys”:

• Excerpt from track #3: “Move”