On August 28, Hiromi rocked the Santa Monica Pier with their Improvisational Electric Jazz Funk Fusion. It's Hiromi on Piano and Keyboard, Mitch Cohn on Bass and Dave DiCenso on Drums. After the show, we gathered at Casa Del Mar to enjoy my Birthday Party, Mars revisiting, and the silent noise from the beach at night.

Hiromi's Improvisational Jazz group is fantastic!

Talk It Out with Jodi Leib
August 28, 2003
Santa Monica Pier
Casa Del Mar
Santa Monica, CA
Photos by Jodi Leib

Jodi: Hiromi, that was an incredible experience.
Hiromi: Thank you very much. I enjoyed it so much. It's great to play right on the beach, where it's beautiful.
Jodi: How does that make you feel?
Hiromi: I just always feel so much energy from people and from nature and I had both right in front of me. I had ultimate energy from them and the beach, ocean. It was great.
Jodi: I feel that. I totally understand and relate. Did you like that it was a free show?
Hiromi: I just love people just walking and stopping by. I think it's a great opportunity for me to open the door for more people and more fans, so that I can reach more people. That's what I love about outdoor jazz festivals.
Jodi: People flocked to you. They really did. I think they heard something they've never heard before. 
Hiromi: Thank you very much. I'm very happy to hear that.
Jodi: You got me with the first key. All of a sudden I was transformed, blown away. I never heard or saw anyone do with the piano what you did tonight. So how did you come to your full art and to be the musician you are?
Hiromi: I started playing classical music when I was six years old. My first piano teacher that I studied with loved jazz so much. She had so many LPs, Oscar Peterson, and she helped me listen to them when I was eight years old. I showed obvious interest in the music, so I started to improvise on some of the classical music, for example like Bach, Chopin. Then I started to compose in my own way. It doesn't really need to be jazz music in the beginning. I just love improvisation so much and I always improvise. The reason why I love improvisation is every day is different. It depends on my mood, the mood of my band, the atmosphere the venue has, the atmosphere the audience has and those affect each other. Everyone affects each other. Then the one art is born there and I love that so much.
Jodi: It's mind blowing. Your craft is absolutely exquisite. 
Hiromi: Improvisation is like talking to somebody. It's just one way, like having a conversation with people and it's great. It's like intangible. 
Jodi: Yeah. Did you know you were going to be an abstract artist?
Hiromi: What is abstract?
Jodi: Like nonlinear. You say improvisation. Like an abstract painting. You're not sure what it is. It has structure, but in the chaos of it.
Hiromi: Okay, if I knew I would play this kind of music or something?
Jodi: Yeah. Are you an abstract thinker? Do you think in concepts? How does your mind work?
Hiromi: How it works, I don't really know. I love the word 'energy'. I'm always searching for big energy. I love watching concerts, sports games, for example when Michael Jordan jumps, in the stadium, everyone is watching at one point, where Michael Jordan jumps. Everyone feels like as if we were jumping, and the energy is one unit. I think it's the same for music and it's the same for the people on the beach, you know? Everyone looking at the waves, and everyone feels so good. People get so much energy from nature. I'm always searching for energy. I think that's my improvisation source.
Jodi: Is it a spiritual energy or a physical energy?
Hiromi: Both.
Jodi: You get a spiritual charge or kick or it touches you spiritually? Are you able to resolve any conflict? Is it Art Therapy in a way?
Hiromi: I just really love performing so much, because I can express my energy that I have in my heart. When people get the energy and they respond to it, then they express energy to me, then I express more energy to them. Unstoppable communication is always going on when I'm on the stage. I love it so much.
Jodi: Wow! I love that too and I love energy. I'm an artist on many different levels and I always talk about energy because to me energy is the fuel that drives the connection. It's the current from which human beings communicate, just like what you're saying. I love your emotionalism, your expressionism, the way you play the piano is just awesome and it's unique. 
Hiromi: Thank you so much.
Jodi: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hiromi: The only thing I see is that I will be playing piano. I will be performing. One more thing that I love about performance is that there's so much love on the stage. I love my musicians so much. We have so much love for each other. I love my instrument so much. Piano for me is my best friend. I respect Piano so much. I know that Piano has respect and love for me. We just trust each other so much. I can do anything on her. 
Jodi: Is that wonderful! Yeah, because it comes out pure. People think they can make mistakes, but you can't.
Hiromi: Whenever I play, I feel like the keys are talking to me, like "play me, play my note!" You know, like "play D, play E, I have so much energy, play me!" I'm always talking to the Piano and Piano's responding. I really love it.
Jodi: Do you ever see yourself playing any other instruments?
Hiromi: No. No.
Jodi: Well, you're wearing white and black. It's neat. Very cool. Thank you so much. Is there anything else you want to say to your fans out there?
Hiromi: Live concert is the only place I can express my energy live, so if you have time to come see the show, please, please come.
Jodi: What does your name, Hiromi mean?
Hiromi: Big Ocean.
Jodi: Wow! This is the place. You really came alive tonight. Thank you. I feel really honored to know you.
Hiromi: Thank you.

Incredible Bassist, Mitch Cohn at Casa Del Mar.

Jodi: Welcome to LA, Mitch. You're brightening up our town already.
Mitch: It's good to be here.
Jodi: What is it you're here to do?
Mitch: I know that I've been blessed with the gift of music and the message of hope. I feel I'm here to bring that to the people. I'm happy to be alive.
Jodi: Why is hope important?
Mitch: Right now we live in a time that is fucking crazy. A lot of people are down. A lot of people forget about hope. A lot of people are caught up their ruts and it's important to keep hope. No matter how down you are, tomorrow's always gonna be brighter. It will be brighter if you let it be. It's important to have hope and remember the beauty of life.
Jodi: I kill hope every chance I get.
Mitch: Why do you do that?
Jodi: I have no idea. I just do that, why do you think that is?
Mitch: Fear is the biggest block that we can have in this life and the more we can see ourselves without fear the more we can really live. I know my hope comes through my faith and having faith in God and in turn, having faith in myself.
Jodi: You're from New York City and traveling around with the electronic jazz band, Hiromi. You're a bass player and a producer. What is your vision for your future?
Mitch: I've produced a lot of Hip-Hop and R&B tracks, stuff that makes people move and have a good time. That's what I'm focusing on but I want to do everything. I'm not going to limit myself to one style.

Passionate drummaking  with Dave and Mars (in the top left corner).

Jodi: I'm here facing the beautiful ocean with Dave, the drummer from Hiromi. How's life to you right now?
Dave: Life is full of what you make it and right now I tend to make my life positive and negative. Instead of making my life positive with my thoughts and my actions, I have a tendency to make life harder than it needs to be. In general, I want things I don't have and I tend to not be real comfortable in wanting. I'm just not that satisfied, because when I have what I want, I look elsewhere. I look where I want to go.
Jodi: Do you think that's the Mars energy in us?
Dave: I have no idea, because I don't know what that is.
Jodi: Mars is the closest it's ever been to Earth in 60,000 years, and it's right over our left shoulders here. I saw it from the pier when you were performing tonight.
Dave: Did you see the moon tonight? While we were playing on the pier, at one point, I said to Mitch..."look at the moon!" It was a tiny little sliver so bright against the sky. It was so beautiful, but I don't know about Mars energy cause I don't know what that energy does.
Jodi: I know it brought us together tonight. Someone told me it was the sex drive and the career drive. Mars is responsible for the passion. I really see it pretty clearly, that Mars is that male drive, that testosterone thing.
Dave: Mars energy, sexual energy?
Jodi: Yeah, to me, in my view of the Solar System, we're all so interconnected. Everything is energy, and certain planets, certain materialisms, different forms of matter kind of have different ecosystems and energy systems. They're the reflection of us, so if Mars is close to us right now, then what's coming out in our lives is sexual energy or clarity. To me there's a real clear distinct energy that I have that is a very comforting work career energy that's like motivated and excited to be alive. It's my birthday today. Everything is one today. To me, there's not a lack today, there's a complete level of satisfaction. 
Dave: That's cool and when that happens to me I don't relate my life to what is going on astrologically. I believe in omens. I believe we're cosmically connected and that everything does happen for a reason and that nothing happens at random. Whether that has anything to do with Mars being close to us, I don't know.
Jodi: What will it take to satisfy you?
Dave: Funny, the first thing I think of is professionally, and the second thing I think is why professionally? The next thing I think of is personal and what would make me really satisfied would be to continue to evolve my relationship with my wife, evolve in my relationship with my family and friends. I'm feeling distance with one of my friends and I don't like it. It makes me feel like I'm wanting instead of having. 
Jodi: What's lacking for you in that relationship?
Dave: I want to feel love and respect. One of the most important things to me and in my life is investment in my friends and from my friends. People caring about me and I want more of it in my life.
Jodi: That makes all the difference in the world.
Dave: What makes me feel more satisfied is feeling love from people, and I can feel a connection and love from people I don't even know. It makes me feel safe and inspired, satisfied. Yeah, that's cool. I'm learning as I'm speaking right now, because of your questions. It all comes down to love and when I'm feeling that for and from, that makes me feel very satisfied.
Jodi: I think that's a really pleasurable place to be, so thank you.
Dave: Thank you! That was great.

This is really amazing if you like Sci-Fi!  I enhanced the photo so you could see Mars (because I know it was there on the photo and you could barely see it online).  Look at us in the light.  We're aliens!  This is what our soul looks like...Cocoon meets Soul Man Group. Dave, you're really good looking...and your soul looks awesome and oh so bright!  Thanks for being such a great sport.  Love you!