Hideaki Ura

Hideaki Ura on ubuntu music

Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of the exceptionally talented young keys player, Hideaki Ura, for the worldwide release of his debut EP, Intersection after Illusion, on January 15th 2021.

Hideaki (known as ‘Hide’ and pronounced HEE-DAY) is a Japanese pianist/composer/arranger, currently based in Boston. He was born in Nagasaki in 1994.

Hide studied piano at Yamaha Music School from the age of four, composition at seven, and jazz music at 10. While he was at the Yamaha Music School, he studied with Hatsuko Ishizuka and Osamu Kajitani.

In 2009, Hide was selected as a representative of the Junior Original Concert (JOC) and performed at their highlight performance. The same year, he also performed at the Yanagawa City Concert.

After graduating Tsurumaru High School in 2012, Hide entered Seinan Gakuin University as an economics major while pursuing his music career.

In 2017, Hide matriculated at Berklee College of Music. He studied music theory, orchestration and composition with Arnold Friedman and Tamar Diesendruck and piano and composition with Vadim Neselovskyi.

In Spring 2018, Hide formed his trio and subsequently performed at various recitals and worked on a range recording projects.

In 2019, Hide was selected as the 2019 Yamaha Music Scholar by the Yamaha Music Foundation. He toured Japan with Ryo Miyachi (b) and Kunito Kitai (dr) in January 2020.

Hide graduated from Berklee College of Music in May 2020. He describes his music as complicated and highly skilled, while being based on a range of music genres such as jazz, fusion, progressive rock, metal, djent and classical.

In addition to his compositions and performances, Hide’s free improvisations have also been highly acclaimed.

Concerning his three track EP, Intersection after Illusion, Hideaki explains, “I composed these three songs when I was a student. They have a lot of sections and show many expressions. Perhaps the first thing the people mention in my songs is the complicated, odd meter. However, this is natural for me because I have been inspired by Bill Evans, Hiromi, Michel Camilo, Return to Forever, Dream Theater and Animals as Leaders since I was little. That’s why I unknowingly compose the songs with odd meter. I recorded my songs with Kevin Barber (b) and Alex Silvergold (ds) in “Capricious Illusion” and “Intersection” and with Dana Roth (b) and Ivanna Cuesta Gonzalez (ds) in “After Rain” in the form of trios. Playing melodies and improvising in a complex time is always exciting. This happened the thrill to the songs. I am very excited to release these songs with Ubuntu Music.”

Hideaki goes on to further explain his new relationship with Ubuntu Music: “I don’t want to be categorized as one music and I have always pursued new music…in other words, my own music. This is very exciting, but at the same time it’s really challenging. Ubuntu Music is also constantly exploring new music as you can see from their line-up. This stance matches perfectly with my stance. That’s why I decided to sign with Ubuntu Music. The Label is based on London, so they will give us the new access to things like strategy, marketing and promotion. I am very happy with this because I want the people from different regions to listen to my music. I am sure that this project will be great. I am very excited to make the journey with Ubuntu Music!”

Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, concludes: “I was first introduced to Hideaki through my business partner, Laura Hess Hay Jamal, and immediately fell in love with Hide’s compositional strength, phrasing and his adrenalin-induced playing. ‘Intersection after Illusion’, the three track EP, represents just the starting point in our relationship. Laura and I have some big plans for this exceptional talent--musically and managerially--and Ahmad Jamal has expressed an interest in producing Hideaki’s next, full length album. So, enjoy the present moment and watch this space for even greater things to come.”