01 – Have You Ever Wondered
02 – Koto Cruise
03 – Blues for Senda
04 – Smiling Jack
05 – See You Again (Ja Mata Ne Moody)
06 – Yamasong Duet
07 – First Nation
08 – Thousand Cranes (2011)
09 – One Wish (Trio Version)

Personnel: 
Dan Kuramoto: saxophones, flutes, synths, shakuhachi, flute, percussion; 
June Kuramoto: koto; 
Kimo Cornwell: piano, keyboards, synths; 
Danny Yamamoto: drums, percussion; 
Dean Cortez: bass; 
Shoji Kameda: taiko, percussion, throat singing; Tetsuya "Tex" 
Nakamura: harmonica (1).

Departure isn't as much a radical departure as it is the next step in Hiroshima's evolution away from smooth jazz mainstay into a tight unit of skilled players making consistently solid music. The band is still built around multi-instrumentalist Dan Kuramoto and June Kuramoto}'s kinetic koto performances. James "Kimo" Cornwell's keyboard is an underrated strength, as is bassist Dean Cortez, and Danny Yamamoto and Shoji Kameda, on drums and taiko respectively.

Hiroshima's previous album, Legacy (Heads Up, 2009) was a celebration of the band's 30 years in the recording industry, but three years later Departure marks the group going the independent route on its first release on its own label. Even after four million records sold, Hiroshima finds itself in a similar position as other veteran artists, looking for new ways to thrive as major record companies shed jazz music from their catalogs.

The Hiroshima approach to integrating Eastern textures to Western music still flourishes, with the opening "Have You Ever Wondered" featuring Tetsuya "Tex" Nakamura's soulful harmonica solo, while June Kuramoto's koto gets a workout on the following "Koto Cruise." Cornwell's piano and Dan Kuramoto's flute percolate on "Blues For Sendai," a tribute of hope for the hard-hit city at the epicenter of the devastating 2011 earthquake.

There are two tributes on Departure: "Smiling Jack" is for Dan Kuramoto's father, while "See You Again" goes out to saxophonist James Moody, whom the band recognizes as a mentor with "the biggest smile on earth"; the heartfelt sentiments to the departed souls is earnest and undeniable. "Yamasong Duet" is a percussion duel between Yamamoto and Kameda, with some unique throat singing from Kameda.

However, it is time for Hiroshima to stop dabbling with different interpretations of two of their most popular songs, "A Thousand Cranes" and "One Wish," the latter stripped down to a trio with the Kuramotos and Cornwell. While okay on their own merits, these reworks can't touch the originals previously revisited on Legacy three years ago.

At its heart, Departure is an on the money if not groundbreaking entry in the Hiroshima catalog for longtime fans and a good jumping on spot for new ones. ---Jeff Winbush, allaboutjazz.com

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1 Winds of Change 7:12
2 Turning Point 6:22
3 One Wish 4:52
4 Dada 6:33
5 I've Been Here Before 5:35
6 East 6:40
7 Roomful of Mirrors 4:01
8 Another Place 9:38
9 Save Yourself for Me 5:45
10 Hawaiian Electric 6:31
11 Thousand Cranes 4:05

Kimo Cornwell 	Keyboards, Piano
Dean Cortez 	Guitar (Bass)
Danny Yamamoto 	Drums, Percussion 
Shoji Kameda 	Percussion
Dan Kuramoto 	Shakuhachi, Vocals
June Kuramoto 	Koto, Vocals 

For over 30 years, Hiroshima have established a singularly unique musical footprint in contemporary ethnic jazz fusion. Combining funky beats with synthesizers and their native Japanese instruments the koto, and taiko drums, the group has become quite popular worldwide even though their name is a reminder of a sorry incident in history. This collection is one of several the group have planned to celebrate their three decades together, in this instance remaking music from their first ten years via a fresh perspective. As co-leaders, multi-instrumentalist Dan Kuramoto and koto player June Kuramoto continue to give the ensemble their multicultural core values while retaining the rich traditions of the Asian homeland with current-day American backbeat rhythms. At their heaviest, "Dada" sports a rock-type guitar, while "I've Been Here Before" is lighter and more soulful. "East" has an interactive quality due to its minimalism via a marimba synthesizer and the acoustic piano playing of Kimo Cornwell, "Hawaiian Electric" is the best jam and very upbeat, and the taiko drums played by Shoji Kameda during "Another Place" contrast with the funk beat, and comes together with the shakuhachi flute of Dan Kuramoto. Terry Steele sings on the blatant ooh-yeah pop tune "Save Yourself for Me," and a Philly soul element is used for the slow ballad "Roomful of Mirrors". This music tends to be a bit grandiose as "Winds of Change" demonstrates, but there's enough diversity with the soprano, tenor sax, or flute of Dan Kuramoto, and the absolutely lovely koto work of June Kuramoto, including a fair amount of improvising, to make this music relatively interesting. Fans of Hiroshima will want this collection to hear how these pieces have evolved from their initial recordings, and newcomers can be equally pleased. ---Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic Review

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