The new release by keyboardist Hiromi Uehara and her trio doesn"t fit easily into jazz categories. Electric and high-propulsion at times, it aligns with aspects of fusion, but shouldn"t be limited by what that term has been burdened with over the years. Hiromi"s Sonicbloom is international in its membership, with a Japanese leader, a Slovakian drummer (Martin Valihora), and a British bassist (Tony Grey). They"re joined by guest guitarist Dave "Fuze" Fiuczynski (from Screaming Headless Torsos, Lunar Crash, and other outfits), and they recorded in--gasp--Nashville! Time is the thread that runs through many of the compositions, and they successfully bend its perception. From the multi-part "Time Out," which finds one part bursting out of another like nesting dolls, to the expansive tapestry of "Deep into the Night," which feels like a part of the continuity that is always blanketing half the earth, Hiromi and her compatriots go from being as precise as a clock to as haunting as a memory to as playful as a kitten (the wonderful "Time Flies" feels like it was composed in honor of a cat"s darting attentions). --David Greenberger