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Press @ Quotes

Album Reviews

Newspaper, Articles, and Blog Columns

Dayton.com, August 5, 2023

University of Dayton Magazine, June 2023

Dayton City Paper, April 26, 2016
South Bend Tribune, November 19, 2015
Jazz Columbus, July 23, 2015
Jazz Columbus, July 16, 2015
Hey Fred!, July 13, 2015
Dayton Daily News, April 9, 2015
Oakwood Register, April 8, 2015

Radio and Podcast

Rodney Veal's Inspired By, Think TV (PBS), June 27, 2023

Adult Music, July 3, 2023

WYSO Excursion with Niki Dakota, April 29, 2016
WYSO Culture Couch with Dave Barber, December 21, 2015
WYSO Excursions with Niki Dakota, April 9, 2015
WVXU Around Cincinnati with Ron Esposito, April 3, 2015

Quotes

By jazz musicians

“Now this guy can play!” — Dave Holland, jazz bassist

“I had to come to Dayton to hear real jazz.” — George Benson, jazz guitarist

“Full of inventiveness and a sense of adventure, creativeness and voracious angularity, agressiveness, and jaggedness, passion, and swing.” — Stephen Scott, jazz pianist

"Delivers a masterful creativity that is direct and immersive." — Gene Jackson, jazz drummer

By critics

“Pianist Keigo Hirakawa, along with Eddie Brookshire and Fenton Sparks on bass and drums, sounds on this CD how fresh and sparkling piano trio still can be.” — Jo Beckers, Doctor Jazz Magazine
“Hirakawa has a distinctive pianistic voice, coming out of a broad stylistic background.” — Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz
“Keigo Hirakawa Trio is tearing it up!” — Nikki Dakota, WYSO Excursions
“Bright, upbeat, overwhelms you.” — Tom Hull, Village Voice Jazz Critic

"Pianist Keigo Hirakawa is most impressive"  — Tom Hull, Village Voice Jazz Critic
“His debut album is building a case for another heavyweight in the green room of jazz.” — George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
“He is a rising star pianist and composer.” — Jack Walton, South Bend Tribune
“Very impressive and well executed.” — Jim Wadsworth, Nighttown
“As a musician he has all the tools: a big-brained command of the keyboard and the kind of lyrical grace that separates virtuosos from the rest of the pack.” — Dave Barber, WYSO

"Keigo Hirakawa shining on piano. His lead both flows and hops, over that great, loose groove, and it seems he could carry on like this forever."  — Michael Doherty, Jazz Critic

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