“lush, melodic and recorded with astonishing precision. Hirabayashi’s piano playing can be as emphatic and songful as Chris Illingworth of Go Go Penguins or the late Esbjörn Svensson, but when she reaches into its guts and plucks the strings it’s like she’s grabbing the listener’s ear to say, pay attention, this part is key.”
(4.5-star review on “Meteora”/Downbeat Magazine) Read the full review
“På Årets Jazzudgivelse udviser vinderen en exceptionel evne til at spille, komponere og skabe delikat samspil. Æstetisk og kunstnerisk når vinderen himmelske højder og fremlyser det bedste i både musikere og lyttere. Vinderen skaber sublim musik, der gør verden til et bedre sted.“
“Aesthetically and artistically, the music on this album soars up to the sky and sheds light on the best in both musicians and listeners. The winner creates sublime music that makes the world a better place.”
(Jazz Album of The Year/Danish Music Awards 2021)
“There are many fine pianists from Japan, but more than anyone, Makiko Hirabayashi invites you to the musical universe of wonder, where the depths and forms of human emotions are revealed and become landscapes where stories are told.”
(liner notes/”Where The Sea Breaks” by Kazutomi Aoki) Read the full linernotes in English
“Hun har boet i hele verden, suget hele verden til sig, både geografisk og musikalsk. Derfor bringer hun mange kulturer ind i sit spil, der giver et personligt afsæt og dermed også hendes eget bud på jazzen anno 2020. Hendes musikalske håndværk er virtuost med en sans for det lyriske, det rytmiske, nærværet, improvisationen og den levende musik.”
(DJBFA Hæderspris 2020)
“With their fourth release “Where The Sea Breaks”, they are at the top of their game, with music full of dynamism, melodic details and harmonic richness.”
(5***** review on “Where The Sea Breaks” – Politiken, DK) Read the full review in Danish
“Surely is a magnificent creation that stands resolutely defiant, beckoning while withholding its secrets.”
(5***** review on “Surely” – All Ablut Jazz) Read the full review in English
“Colourful, delicate, translucent and self-assured trio album.”
(5***** review on “Surey” – GAFFA) Read the full review in Danish
“The feeling is closer to that of late dusk rather than early dawn, but with the uplifting intensity of creation, exploration and wonderment. Every note, every gesture matters and there is nothing extra.”
(5***** review on “Binocular” – All About Jazz) Read the full review in English
“deeply integrated, fiercely vibrant trio playing, where Hirabayashi’s piano, Hovman’s bass and Mazur’s drums act as three equal factors”.
(Review on “Hide and Seek” – Jazz Special) Read the full review in Danish
“The compositions are seductive and moving, trio’s interplay exceptional, and each musician’s performance a delight to the ears.”
(5***** review on “Makiko”, GAFFA) Read the full review in Danish