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Keiko Matsui

Acclaimed pianist, composer and humanitarian Keiko Matsui's transcendent and haunting melodies have long sought to build bridges. Her sonic cultural exchange has reached the hearts and minds of fans throughout the world and has allowed the pianist to work alongside icons Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Hugh Masekela and Bob James. “I would like my music to be a conduit for peace, kindness, love and light,” shares the petite, soft-spoken, yet commanding pianist. She adds, “My recording Echo is my attempt to capture all of these elements into the vibration of sound.” On February 22, 2019 Keiko Matsui will release her 28th recording as leader, Echo, which she co-produced with Grammy nominated producer Bud Harner. A master storyteller, Matsui crafts exquisite compositions replete with lush harmonies and global rhythms to create timeless musical anthems. Like iconic musicians Miles Davis and Shirley Horn, Keiko is also a master at utilizing space in her music to create a backdrop of drama, tension and sheer beauty. Keiko’s most inspired work yet, Echo features numerous special guests including bassist Marcus Miller, saxophonist Kirk Whalum, vocalist Gretchen Parlato, guitarist Robben Ford and bassist (and son of Clint Eastwood) Kyle Eastwood. The all-star line up also showcases premiere recording musicians drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist, Jimmy Johnson and guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. and percussionist Luis Conte, as well as Keiko’s top notch touring band, Jimmy Branly, JP Mourão and Rico Belled. ...


“While composing the songs on Echo, I had a feeling of gratitude and a sense that there were infinite possibilities,” reflects Keiko Matsui. “This music is close to my heart because it is a celebration of the joy of the imagination, the strength of courage and the endurance of faith. It is about romance and a reminder to honor all living things.” There is a grace and spirituality about Keiko that permeates her music and very essence. Listening to Echo, you feel as if you are transported on a journey as the music unfolds like ten sweeping movements in a rapturous suite. The prolific Matsui composed 100 motifs for the recording that eventually were narrowed down to the songs featured on the CD.

Echo ceremoniously opens with a trippy drum and bass that catapults into Matsui’s reggae-tinged “Unshakeable.” Backed by nonet, with a blazing horn section, Keiko’s punctuated dancing lines add fuel to this exhilarating number. The intriguing “Moon Over Gotham” shines light on Keiko’s unrivaled ability to create delightfully memorable melodies. This swinger features a flugelhorn solo from Wayne Burgeron. Bass extraordinaire Marcus Miller shares the spotlight with Keiko on the CD’s title track. Miller was featured on Keiko’s 2013 recording Soul Quest on her anthem for global warming “Antarctica.” Keiko admits to being a long time Marcus Miller fan.

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Album Review

Keiko Matsui: Journey To The Heart

Read "Journey To The Heart" reviewed by Jeff Winbush


Out of pain comes growth and in 2007, Keiko Matsui, emerged from a divorce, record label troubles, and embraced her new singularity by striking out in a bold new direction as she traveled to South Africa, paired up with trumpeter Hugh Masakela and the results gave birth to the adventurous Moyo, one of the brightest and best recordings of a 30-year career. Fast forward nine years and Matsui's at it again with Journey To The Heart, a spirited ...

5
Album Review

Keiko Matsui: Live In Tokyo

Read "Live In Tokyo" reviewed by Jeff Winbush


Most of the time releasing a live album is a good way to mark time between trips to the studio as they are quick and easy cash grabs where a musician sells the fans a cheap ticket to a show they weren't at. The Rolling Stones are masters of this slick tactic with no less than a dozen official live albums in their discography. The fatal flaw with live albums is they are audio representations of a visual ...

136
Album Review

Keiko Matsui: The Road...

Read "The Road..." reviewed by Jeff Winbush


It's a new year, record label, management, and hairstyle for Keiko Matsui, but her first album since 2007's Moyo (Shout Factory!) finds the Japanese pianist still in fine form. The Road... isn't as radical a shift in direction as Moyo was, as Matsui added African influences to her unique melding of musical styles, but it is a worthy continuation of the journey she began four years ago.“Secret Pond" is another entry in the stately and quiet gracefulness of ...

407
Catching Up With

Keiko Matsui: And The Road...Goes On

Read "Keiko Matsui:  And The Road...Goes On" reviewed by Jeff Winbush


Keiko Matsui has been out of the studio but relentlessly trotting the globe since 2007's Moyo (Shout! Factory), her acclaimed South African-inspired recording that featured the Japanese-born pianist/composer/producer collaborating with trumpeter Hugh Masakela, among others. The Road... (Shanachie, 2011) marks the further evolution of her signature sound and demonstrates a new chapter in her artistic growth. “When I started this project I spent a lot of time reflecting on the soul and where it comes from," Matsui explains. “I am ...

408
Album Review

Keiko Matsui: Moyo (Heart and Soul)

Read "Moyo (Heart and Soul)" reviewed by Jeff Winbush


There isn't a great divide between the life of a musician and the ordinary 9-to-5 Joe. Musicians have to perform on their job or they get passed over. They have dandruff, bills to pay and crabgrass they can't get out of their front lawn.The difference is when a musician undergoes a personal drama there's the outlet of retreating to the nearest studio or soundstage to express his/her joys and sorrows. When pianist Keiko Matsui faced the parting of ...

665
Interview

Keiko Matsui: Heart & Soul

Read "Keiko Matsui: Heart & Soul" reviewed by Katrina-Kasey Wheeler


Moyo, Swahili for “heart and soul, is an inspirational release from keyboardist Keiko Matsui. It was recorded on location in South Africa with musicians including Gerald Albright, Paul Taylor, Richard Bona, Akira Jimbo and Waldemar Bastos. The album is a melodic work of art, in which she allows the listener into her experiences, those which she chronicles through twelve poignant tracks. Although she has sold 1.2 million units in the U.S. alone and has sold-out appearances at concert ...

181
Album Review

Keiko Matsui: Collection

Read "Collection" reviewed by Robert Spencer


Keiko Matsui's Collection consists of twelve cuts culled from the albums Under the Northern Lights and No Borders. Fans of Keiko's jazz / funk piano and keyboard will want to pick this up if they can't get the earlier discs, but it features no “bonus" or “previously unreleased" cuts to drag in diehard fans.

As for the music, well, my wife walked by while I was playing this CD and remarked, “Sounds like the theme of a Japanese TV show." ...

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1

Recording

Keiko Matsui To Release "Live In Tokyo" CD/DVD October 2 Via Shanachie Entertainment

Keiko Matsui To Release "Live In Tokyo" CD/DVD October 2 Via Shanachie Entertainment

Source: 1888 Media

Concert Showcases Soul Quest, Her Most Recent Critically Acclaimed Studio Album Special Guests Include Guitarist Chuck Loeb and Saxophonists Kirk Whalum & Tom Braxton U.S. Tour October 9-November 15 Covers jny: Boston, Washington DC, jny: Cleveland, and jny: Seattle On October 2, Shanachie Entertainment will release Live In Tokyo, the definitive concert experience from contemporary jazz icon Keiko Matsui. Recorded during a sold-out stop on her 2014 Soul Quest World Tour, the CD/DVD release showcases her stunning live show like ...

Performance / Tour

Internationally Acclaimed Pianist Keiko Matsui Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of U. S. Recording Career With New Album On July 30 And U. S. Tour, August 4 - December 21, 2013

Internationally Acclaimed Pianist Keiko Matsui Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of U. S. Recording Career With New Album On July 30 And U. S. Tour, August 4 - December 21, 2013

Source: 1888 Media

New album Soul Quest features Narada Michael Walden, Chuck Loeb, Marcus Miller & Kirk Whalum, among others. Matsui added to Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour with Oleta Adams and Jonathan Butler “Creating this album was like going on a soul quest, as I tried to figure out how to express the things I was thinking and experiencing during this past year,” confides pianist, composer and humanitarian Keiko Matsui (pronounced Kay-Koe, meaning ‘happy, celebratory child’ in Japanese). “This music energizes ...

Recording

Internationally Acclaimed Pianist, Composer & Humanitarian Keiko Matsui Creates Ground Breaking, Thought Provoking & Inspirational New Music On Soul Quest Out July 30, 2013

Internationally Acclaimed Pianist, Composer & Humanitarian Keiko Matsui Creates Ground Breaking, Thought Provoking & Inspirational New Music On Soul Quest Out July 30, 2013

Source: 1888 Media

Keiko Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of US Recording Career With Star-Studded CD featuring Narada Michael Walden, Chuck Loeb & Kirk Whalum Among Others “Creating this album was like going on a soul quest, as I tried to figure out how to express the things I was thinking and experiencing during this past year,” confides pianist, composer and humanitarian Keiko Matsui (pronounced Kay-Koe, meaning ‘happy, celebratory child’ in Japanese). “This music energizes me and I am overwhelmed with emotion when I listen ...

170

Video / DVD

Visionary Japanese Instrumentalist Keiko Matsui Debuts Music Video For The Title Track From Her Album "The Road..."

Visionary Japanese Instrumentalist Keiko Matsui Debuts Music Video For The Title Track From Her Album "The Road..."

Source: 1888 Media

Second Leg Of U.S. Tour Runs August Through October With A Special Guest Performance Aboard The Dave Koz Alaskan Cruise With over a million and a half albums sold and sold out concerts around the globe, keyboardist Keiko Matsui is a citizen of the world and one of the brightest stars in instrumental music. Earlier this year, Shanachie Entertainment released Keiko Matsui's The Road..., her 22nd album and a follow-up to her acclaimed 2007 South African inspired Moyo. Building on ...

65

Interview

Pianist Keiko Matsui Interviewed at All About Jazz

Pianist Keiko Matsui Interviewed at All About Jazz

Source: All About Jazz

Keiko Matsui has been out of the studio but relentlessly trotting the globe since 2007's Moyo (Shout! Factory), her acclaimed South African-inspired recording that featured the Japanese-born pianist/composer/producer collaborating with trumpeter Hugh Masakela, among others. The Road... (Shanachie, 2011) marks the further evolution of her signature sound and demonstrates a new chapter in her artistic growth. “When I started this project I spent a lot of time reflecting on the soul and where it comes from," Matsui explains. “I am ...

196

Performance / Tour

Keiko Matsui To Play U.S. Shows February 11 - May 21 In Support Of New Album The Road...

Keiko Matsui To Play U.S. Shows February 11 - May 21 In Support Of New Album The Road...

Source: 1888 Media

With over a million and a half albums sold and sold out concerts around the globe, keyboardist Keiko+Matsui" target=_blank><strong>Keiko Matsui</strong> is a citizen of the world and one of the brightest stars in instrumental music who recently released The Road... (Shanachie Entertainment), her first new recording in four years and a follow-up to her acclaimed 2007 South African inspired Moyo. Over the course of nine heartfelt songs, Matsui majestically creates a distinct listening enlightenment that permeates one's consciousness. Augmenting the ...

274

Recording

Visionary Japanese Instrumentalist Keiko Matsui To Release Her Twenty-Second Album On January 25 Via Shanachie Entertainment

Visionary Japanese Instrumentalist Keiko Matsui To Release Her Twenty-Second Album On January 25 Via Shanachie Entertainment

Source: 1888 Media

With over a million and a half albums sold and sold out concerts around the globe, keyboardist Keiko Matsui is a citizen of the world and one of the brightest stars in instrumental music. On January 25th, Shanachie Entertainment will release The Road..., Keiko Matsui's first new recording in four years and a follow-up to her acclaimed 2007 South African inspired Moyo. This new self-produced opus (and 22nd album released in the U.S.) exhibits Matsui's profound affinity for melody while ...

193

Performance / Tour

Les Paul (Mon) Mingus Legacy (Tues) June 27-30 Keiko Matsui (Fri Late Nite) Gregg August (Sat Late Nite) Kendrick Scott Oracle at the Iridium Jazz Club

Les Paul (Mon) Mingus Legacy (Tues) June 27-30 Keiko Matsui (Fri Late Nite) Gregg August (Sat Late Nite) Kendrick Scott Oracle at the Iridium Jazz Club

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services

IRIDIUM JAZZ CLUB 1650 BROADWAY (Corner of 51st) NEW YORK, NY 10023 RESERVATIONS: 212-582-2121 Sets At 8:00 & 10:00PM Except Saturday's 8:30 & 10:30 PM EVERY MONDAY LES PAUL AND HIS TRIO JOHN COLIANNI - PIANO - LOU PALLO - GUITAR, NICKI PARROTT - BASS MINGUS LEGACY EVERY TUESDAY Sets at 8:00 & 10:00PM Mingus Big Band Tuesday, June 26, 2007 Every Sunday The Iridium Jazz Brunch 11am-3pm ...

Photos

Concerts

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Jun 23 Sun
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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Mystical

Self Produced
2024

buy

Journey To The Heart

Shanachie Records
2016

buy

Live In Tokyo

Shanachie Records
2015

buy

Soul Quest

Narada Jazz
2013

buy

Greatest Hits

Narada Jazz
2011

buy

The Road...

Shanachie Records
2011

buy

Stingo (Live in Tokyo)

From: Live In Tokyo
By Keiko Matsui

Black Lion

From: Black Lion
By Keiko Matsui

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