Song of the Day: “Flying?” by Ai Kuwabara
Ai Kuwabara’s 2025 release, Flying?, is less of a tentative question and more of a confident, commanding statement. Recorded in Los Angeles with a powerhouse rhythm section featuring bassist Sam Wilkes and drummer Gene Coye, the album marks Kuwabara’s transition from the precision-engineered jazz of Tokyo to a more sun-drenched, groove-heavy West Coast sensibility. It is a record that manages to be technically demanding while remaining accessible enough to play at a dinner party without competing with the conversation.
The album is a mix of ambitious originals and “LA-approved” covers, including a surprisingly earnest rendition of Maroon 5’s “This Love” and a fuzz-drenched take on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Parallel Universe.” While the covers are competent and clearly aimed at bridging her Japanese roots with her new American surroundings, they occasionally feel like very high-end background music. It is in her original compositions—where the “Project” ethos of her earlier work meets the improvisational muscle of her LA collaborators—that the album truly takes off.
Among a track list that balances delicate pensive moments and high-energy fusion, the title track “Flying?” serves as the opening statement, and for good reason: it encapsulates everything Kuwabara is trying to achieve with this new chapter of her career. While other tracks like “What hummingbirds teach us about flying” offer a softer, more impressionistic view of the theme, the title track chooses to be an adrenaline-fueled sprint. The chemistry between Kuwabara’s percussive piano style and Gene Coye’s drumming is electric. Coye doesn’t just keep time; he provides a shifting architectural framework that allows Kuwabara to throw around complex melodic lines without the whole structure collapsing.
Ultimately, Flying? succeeds because it doesn’t try to be a “cool” jazz record; it’s too busy being an energetic one. The title track, in particular, proves that Kuwabara doesn’t need the safety net of familiar covers to command a room. She just needs a piano and a rhythm section capable of keeping up with her.
The Song
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/song/flying/1814555770
The Album
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/flying/1814555765