Hiromi Uehara has emerged as a leading exponent of solo jazz piano, in the tradition of Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. She did her first international performances at the age of 14. In 1996, when she was 17, she met Chick Corea during Chick’s tour of Japan. She played a short improvisation for him, and on the spot he invited her to join him on stage for his next performance. She eventually went on to study at Berklee, was mentored by Ahmad Jamal among others, and did several more collaborations with Chick.