Hanami was formed originally in the spirit of raising funds to aid Japanese victims of a recent tsunami.  This quartet of guitarist Andrew Trim, drummer Charles Rumback, multi-reedist Mai Sugimoto and bass clarinetist Jason Stein enjoyed their project enough to eventually put together a studio recording.  The group’s sophomore effor – The Only Way To Float Free, features a unique melding of instruments in electric guitar, saxophone/clarinet, bass clarinet, and drums, Hanami paints dynamic sonic landscapes on a bass-less canvas. The chamber like qualities of the instrumentation combined exploratory improvisations, both oblique and consonant, give way to their new album of artfully composed original compositions born out of their atypical take on the tradition of the jazz quartet and a deep connection with the country of Japan.