Music Review ~ Keiko Matsui "The Road..."

Today's review was written by The Jazz Post's Rachel C! I often read her blog to find out what's going on in the ever-changing world of a young jazz musician.

Here are Rachel's thoughts on Japanese keyboardist and composer Keiko Matsui's 2011 album entitled The Road...

Keiko Matsui's "The Road..."I had my first encounter with Keiko Matsui during the first year of high school – she was playing at a local theater, and our jazz band had been asked to be the opening act of her show. It was also one of my first experiences at a jazz show in general – up until then, all I knew about jazz was from our eighteen-piece high school band.

So, it was quite a surprise to see Matsui’s setup for the first time – a drum kit, some African percussion, a bass, and a few keyboards center stage – nothing like what I’d seen in the classroom.

I remember Matsui sharing experiences with us from her trip to South Africa and the lingering effect it had on what was then her most recent album, Moyo. When she began playing the first few notes on her keyboard, my then fourteen-year-old self was balanced on the edge of my seat, gaping at the stage.

It’s exciting to hear the same Matsui I heard three years ago on that stage in her newest album, The Road…. It captures the palatable energy between Matsui and her band mates, the intriguing hints of African influences, and the nuanced sensitivity in Matsui’s keyboard playing. Although she’s considered a “new-age” jazz musician, there’s a multitude of elements in Matsui’s arrangements – from the wispy African vocals in “Nguea Wonja” and “Falcon’s Wing” to the more down-to-earth jazz inflections in “Embrace & Surrender”.

Upon several listens of this album, it’s apparent to me that there is a clear division in styles between the first four tracks and the last five. The first four tracks, “Falcon’s Wing” especially, are clearly the high-energy Matsui that I remember from my freshman year of high school. Conversely, the last five tracks capture a softer, more emotional side of Matsui. They contain more traditional jazz and structured classical sensibilities – while preserving Keiko's crisp, energetic acoustic piano sound.

I found myself drawn to the music of The Road… for the same reason I was drawn towards Matsui's artistry as a freshman three years ago – she has the uncanny ability to blend a diverse group of instrumentalists and musical ideas together successfully. The Road… includes differing styles, from “Bohemian Concerto” a lively composition that includes a grooving rhythm section (with drummer MB Gordy and bassist Eric Baines) and jazz accordionist Frank Marocco; to “Touching Peace” a lighter piece placed in a quartet setting, with Richard Bona on guitar accompaniment and Mauricio Zottarelli on brushes.

Whether it’s inspiration from Japan or Africa, electronic keyboards or acoustic piano, Keiko Matsui brings it all together in The Road…, and it’s quite a delightful journey to listen to.

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Thank you, Rachel!

Are you a fan of Keiko Matsui and her music? Do you live in the Pacific Northwest? She will be performing at Jazz Alley in Seattle, WA from May 5th through the 8th. Let me know it you go to one of the shows! :)

Rachel CRachel is a seventeen-year-old high school senior, writer and pianist in the Greater Los Angeles area. She started writing her blog, The Jazz Post, in July 2009. 

She is @thejazzpost on Twitter.