Izumi Kimura & Gerry Hemingway

Izumi Kimura & Gerry Hemingway ‘Thought Bubbles’
Izumi Kimura, Piano / Gerry Hemingway, Drums
Monday, January 23rd, 7pm Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin
FREE event

Izumi Kimura, the Japanese born, Irish resident pianist, embarks on an exciting duo series in Spring 2017 with two of the most respected improvising musicians in contemporary jazz - Gerry Hemingway (January) and Barry Guy (March). Classically trained Kimura is revered amongst audiences and fellow musicians for her technique and boldness in both the classical and improvised idioms, and everything in between. The Irish Times has praised her “Heroic levels of technical fearlessness, stamina and strength” and “Natural kind of musicianship that never strives too much”.

On Monday 23rd of January, radical composer and percussionist Gerry Hemingway will join Izumi Kimura to perform a free-of-charge duo concert at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. This concert will be preceded by an earlier performance in The Mick Lally Theatre, Galway on Saturday 21st January, presented by Galway Jazz Festival.

Izumi Kimura is a highly acclaimed practitioner of contemporary piano music, improviser, and educator. She has performed extensively throughout Ireland and abroad as a solo, orchestral and chamber musician, and has worked with some of the leading performers and ensembles from both disciplines of classical and jazz, including RTE Symphony Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, Crash Ensemble, Michael D’arcy, Ioana Petcu, Colan, Susan Doyle, Cora Venus Lunny, and many more from the world of classical music, and with jazz musicians including Tommy Halferty, Ronan Guilfoyle, Michael Buckley, Joe O'Callaghan, Oki Itaru, Makoto Sato, Benoít Delbecq, Sarah Buechi, Fuzzy Logic Ensemble and more.

Gerry Hemingway is one of the most radical and respected improvisers working today and is an internationally recognized master of his field. An American percussionist/ composer/ visual artist/ educator, who resides in Switzerland, Hemingway’s professional career spans over 40 years and spreads across the world. However, very rarely does Hemingway perform a highly evolved improvised music concert in a Classical music conservatoire, therefore this concert on 23rd January with Izumi Kimura will be an exceptional opportunity to appreciate both these masters at work.

‘His breadth of scope channeled through the viewing glass of art shines throughout this radical reformulation of standard solo drumming fare, amalgamated with his off-center filmography and a penchant for broadening his horizons.’ - All About Jazz.

In Spring 2016, Kimura visited Hemingway and spent many hours playing and discussing their shared love of improvisation. These sessions had a profound impact on the classically trained pianist and fundamentally changed her musical outlook. What struck Kimura the most during these sessions was the true 'aliveness' of the music played by Hemingway. It was manifested in the speed of communication, the directness of energy, the complete trust in the unknown, and the freedom of technique and expression, anchored by their decades of experience.

With ‘Thought Bubbles’, Kimura has built a strong relationship within the context of a duo format, allowing both musicians to explore and strengthen undiluted interplay through the purest form of communication.

This project marks a milestone in Izumi Kimura’s career, and is a wonderful opportunity for audiences to experience two world-class musicians performing in a spontaneous improvisational context, in an intimate duo format that allows each musician to shine.

Websites;

http://gerryhemingway.com/
http://www.riam.ie/
http://www.izumikimura.com/schedule/