Hiro Honshuku and the A-NO-NE Trio

“Hiro Honshuku is a man of many parts — virtuoso flutist, imaginative composer, capable visual artist and gifted teacher. A composer is always heartened to learn he has been an influence in a musician's life; Hiro has taken what he learned from the Lydian Concept and used it as I had intended it to be used — to fashion his own unique voice. Drawing from his experience of growing up in Japan, studying European traditional music, and coming to the jazz idiom as a young man, his music is pan-cultural and compelling. He is supported superbly by Gustavo Assis-Brasil on guitar and José Pienasola on bass; this ensemble listens to each other, and the result is a very worthwhile musical experience.”

- George Russell

This CD is dedicated to George Russell, who turned me on to Tonal Gravity.

All the compositions heard here have no chord progressions that can be analyzed using conventional jazz theory. There is not even a single V–I resolution. Everything is written based on Tonal Gravity. I learned from one of the most important, yet somewhat underrated jazz legends, George Russell, whom I have been lucky to be close to since I moved to the US. The melody structure also follows his horizontal approach. I just added a few spices I brought from Japan 19 years ago. George’s Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization is brilliant, but I was even more fascinated with what he hears in his head and how it translates into the notes on the page. Besides Miles, George’s ‘sound’ is one of my biggest influences.

This recording was made rather unexpectedly. We gathered at my studio to rehearse for the King’s Chapel Concert, which was scheduled for one week later. The recording environment was not even correctly set up. We just plugged into the Metric Halo Mobile I/0 2882+DSP then hit record on my Mac, in a hope of having something to sell during the show.

Even though this was the first time we three got together as the A-NO-NE Trio, José, Gustavo, and I had been playing every week at La Luna in Cambridge for 10 months until recently. José is a one of the very rare Brazilian bassists who plays upright bass and who can also play on top of the beat when playing a swing groove. Gustavo is not only an exciting and innovative soloist, he is also a monster of comping whom I enjoy so much playing with. I hope you enjoy the ‘happenings’ captured in this recording.

- Hiroaki Honshuku