The Telarc label has been in business now for more than 30 years, and has diversified almost schizophrenically over that time.
Originally intended to be a sort of US Deutsche Grammophon, purveying audiophile standard recordings of classical music, Telarc ventured first tentatively into jazz with artists such as Jacques Loussier and his adaptations of classical works, then into blues and all kinds of roots music.
Among its latest releases are Flood from blues duo Moreland and Arbuckle and a new solo piano collection from Hiromi Uehara.
Uehara has kept busy since appearing at the 2008 Hong Kong Arts Festival. There, she played with her band Sonicbloom, featuring the edgy guitar work of David 'Fuze' Fiuczynski, and the music reflected her mentor Chick Corea's Return To Forever period jazz-rock.
This album finds her performing mostly self-penned compositions recorded just ahead of her 30th birthday. 'I wanted to record the sound of my 20s for archival purposes,' she says.
'I felt like the people I met on the road during my 20s really helped me to develop and mature as a musician and a person. So in addition to making a record that represented all of these places, I also wanted it to be a thank-you to those people. I feel very fortunate to have spent this part of my life travelling to all these places and making people happy.'
