The Adelaide Town Hall was electric on Tuesday, October 28 as Japanese jazz virtuoso Hiromi Uehara, known simply as Hiromi, took to the stage with PUBLIQuartet for a performance that redefined the possibilities of chamber jazz. As part of the 2025 OzAsia Festival, this concert was not just a meeting of musical minds but an ecstatic fusion of discipline and spontaneity.

From the opening moments, Hiromi’s command of the piano was undeniable. Her fingers blurred across the keys flowing with melody and rhythm, channelling both the precision of classical training and the liveliness of improvisation. Yet what made the evening transcendent was the chemistry between her and PUBLIQuartet, a New York–based ensemble celebrated for their fearless genre-bending and improvisatory flair.

The set drew heavily from Silver Lining Suite, Hiromi’s 2021 album born from the isolation of the pandemic. Each movement unfolded like a narrative arc, namely: Isolation, The Unknown, Drifters and Fortitude, which were all given new life through the quartet’s accompaniment. Violinists Jannina Norpoth and Fung Chern Hwei, violist Nick Revel, and cellist Hamilton Berry moved with intuitive unity, their precision weaving through Hiromi’s lightning fast arrangements. The balance between structured and freedom was delightful: well known tunes such as “My Favourite Things” from the Sound of Music and “Flight of the Bumblebee” dissolved into wild rhythmic exchanges, and moments of stillness yielded to explosions of joy.

One standout was a cover of “Blackbird” by The Beatles (sort-of, as Hiromi exclaimed afterwards). Hiromi imbued the song with her frenetic jazz-plosion style, transforming it into a version never heard before.

Hiromi’s presence at the piano remains theatrical yet sincere. Her body seemed to dance with the music, head thrown back in laughter one moment, utterly focused the next. Her improvisations were daring and humorous, drawing cheers and rounds of applause from the audience. PUBLIQuartet matched her energy with playful counterpoints and harmonic turns.

The acoustics of the Adelaide Town Hall amplified every nuance, the percussive thump of Hiromi’s hands, the airy resonance of the strings, creating an all-encompassing sonic landscape. By the final encore, the crowd was on its feet, roaring in appreciation for a performance that defied categories: neither jazz nor classical, but something excitingly and boldly in between.

Hiromi and PUBLIQuartet were, in every sense, a triumph of artistry, collaboration, and joy.

While this was a one night only performace, there are plenty more incredible acts to see as part of the OzAsia Festival which is running until November 2. Check out the program line up here.