, is a Japanese keyboardist and composer, specializing in
smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s.
History
Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...
and
New-age music
New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation technique, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecs ...
.
Biography
![Keiko Matsui (Novosibirsk, 2006)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Keiko_Matsui_%28Novosibirsk%2C_2006%29.jpg)
Keiko Matsui was born in Tokyo, Japan. Her mother, Emiko, took her to her first piano lesson in the June following her fifth birthday. Japanese tradition holds that a child who is introduced to lessons at this time will continue in those studies for a long time. The tradition held true for Matsui, who studied piano throughout her school years. Though her early training focused on
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
, in
junior high school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
she developed an interest in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and began composing her own music.
She studied children's culture at , then studied at the
Yamaha Music Foundation
The Yamaha Music Foundation is an organization established in 1966 by the authority of the Japanese Ministry of Education for the purpose of promoting music education and music popularization. It continued a program of music classes begun by Yamaha ...
. She started the band Cosmos, which recorded four albums. She recorded her debut solo album, ''A Drop of Water'' (Passport, 1987), with her husband Kazu Matsui. She signed with
MCA and released the albums ''No Borders'' and ''Under Northern Lights''. In 1992 she signed with White Cat. ''Sapphire'' (1995) reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' magazine Contemporary Jazz chart.
She produced her album ''The Road'' (
Shanachie, 2011) and recorded it with
Richard Bona
Richard Bona (born 28 October 1967) is a Cameroon-born American multi-instrumentalist and singer.
Early life
Bona Penda Nya Yuma Elolo was born in Minta, Cameroon, into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a y ...
,
Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2014. Colai ...
,
Jackiem Joyner
Jackiem Joyner (born February 9, 1980) is a smooth jazz saxophonist and flutist from Norfolk, Virginia, US.
Biography
Son of Dianne Joyner Terry and Jackie Smith (local bass guitar player known as the raven). Raised by his mother in a sing ...
, and
Kirk Whalum
Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.
Basic meaning and etymology
As a common noun, ''kirk'' ...
. She worked with
Bob James on an album during the same year. Her album ''Soul Quest'' (2013) reached No. 6 on the jazz chart.
Sound
Matsui blends
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and
Eastern
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
music. She has a very spiritual view of composing music, feeling out each composition as though it were, in her words, "coming to me from another space, another dimension," and "catching notes from the silence and then simply placing them together". Matsui sees music as "the great gifts from the human souls from the past, for the children of the future". She believes that music has a power to bring people together and change their lives. "We are connected by music", Matsui wrote, "as the Ocean connects the continents".
A lover of nature, Matsui often makes reference to plants, animals, the elements, and other natural features and phenomena in her song titles. She shows a special fascination with the moon as a number of her compositions refer to the moon in their titles.
Charity work
Her 1997 mini-CD ''A Gift of Hope'' went to support the
Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization or Y-ME (previously Breast Cancer Network of Strength), was a Chicago-based national nonprofit organization that provided resources, information, and support to those suffering from breast cancer. Their missi ...
, and her music appeared in a
''Lifetime'' channel special about breast cancer. She performed at an ice skating event in 1997 to support the
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Susan G. Komen (formerly known as Susan G. Komen for the Cure; originally as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation; often simply as Komen) is a breast cancer organization in the United States.
Komen focuses on patient navigation and advo ...
. Proceeds from ''A Gift of Life'' went to the
National Marrow Donor Program
The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that operates the Be The Match Registry of volunteer hematopoietic cell donors and umbilical cord blood units in the Unite ...
and the Marrow Foundation to help Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, which promotes the registration of people of ethnic minorities as marrow donors to improve their chances of finding a matching donor. Royalties from her album ''Wildflower'' supported the United Nations
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
. She performed at the
United Nations Headquarters
The United Nations is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States, and the complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1951. It is in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neig ...
building in New York City on December 17, 2003, to benefit the program.
Discography
Solo
* ''
A Drop of Water
''A Drop of Water'' is the debut album by Keiko Matsui that was released in 1987 by Passport.
Track listing
Personnel
* Keiko Matsui – piano, shakuhachi, synthesizer
* Kazu Matsui – shakuhachi
* David Garfield – piano, synthesizer
* ...
'' (
Passport
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
, 1987)
* ''Under Northern Lights'' (
MCA, 1989)
* ''No Borders'' (MCA, 1990)
* ''Night Waltz'' (Sin-Drome, 1991)
* ''Cherry Blossom'' (White Cat, 1992)
* ''Doll'' (White Cat, 1994)
* ''Sapphire'' (White Cat, 1995)
* ''Dream Walk'' (Countdown, 1996)
* ''Full Moon and the Shrine'' (Countdown, 1998)
* ''Whisper from the Mirror'' (Countdown, 2000)
* ''Hidamari no Ki'' (2000) soundtrack (Planet Joy 2002)
* ''Deep Blue'' (
Narada
Narada ( sa, नारद, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. He ...
, 2001)
* ''Deep Blue - solo piano version (Planet Joy Records, 2001)
* ''The Ring'' (Narada, 2002)
* ''The Piano'' (Narada, 2003)
* ''White Owl'' (Narada, 2003)
* ''Wildflower'' (Narada, 2004)
* ''Walls of Akendora'' (Narada, 2005)
* ''Moyo (Heart & Soul)'' (
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
, 2007)
* ''The Road...'' (
Shanachie, 2011)
* ''Altair & Vega'' with
Bob James (
eOne
Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television s ...
, 2011)
* ''Soul Quest'' (Shanachie, 2013)
* ''Journey to the Heart'' (Shanachie, 2016)
* ''Echo'' (Shanachie, 2019)
Live albums
* ''Keiko Matsui Live'' (Countdown, 1999)
* ''Live in Tokyo'' (
Sony/Columbia, 2002)
EP Albums
* ''A Gift of Hope'' (Unity, 1997)
* ''A Gift of Life'' (Narada, 2001)
With Cosmos
* ''Hyoryu'' (
Toshiba-EMI
, formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. When ...
, 1980)
* ''Session III'' (Yamaha R&D Studio, 1981)
* ''Can Can Can!'' (
Pony Canyon
, also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affiliate ...
, 1982)
* ''Bourbonsuite'' (Pony Canyon, 1982)
* ''Musitopia'' (Pony Canyon, 1983)
* ''Musou Toshi'' Pony Canyon, 1984)
* ''Lensman'' (soundtrack) (Pony Canyon, 1984)
* ''Session V'' (Yamaha R&D Studio, 1985)
With Kazu Matsui - as guest
* ''Tribal Mozart'' (Countdown, 1997)
* ''Tribal Shubert'' (Countdown, 1999)
* ''Tribal Beethoven'' (Planet Joy, 2001)
With others
* ''Just My Tone'' Mariko Tone (1987)
* ''Spread Colors'', Akira Asakura
* ''Dancing on the Water'', Bob James (
Warner Brothers/WEA, 2000)
* ''Miles to Miles'',
Jason Miles
Jason Miles (born June 30, 1951) is an American jazz keyboardist, composer, and record producer. Throughout his career, he has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, bassist Marcus Miller, and singer Luther Vandross, as well as maintaining a successfu ...
(Narada, 2005)
Compilation albums
* ''Collection'' (GRP, 1997)
* ''The Very Best Of Keiko Matsui'' (Verve, 2004)
Videos
* ''Bridge over the Stars''
* ''Full Moon and the Shrine''
* ''Light Above the Trees'' (
Winstar, 1998)
* ''The Jazz Channel Presents Keiko Matsui'' (
Image Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 ...
, 2001) DVD
* ''White Owl'' (Narada, 2003) DVD included with the ''White Owl'' CD; concert at Bunkamura Orchard Hall (Tokyo, 2002)
* ''Walls of Akendora'' bonus DVD included with the music CD; 9 songs with track 10 a home movie of being on the road (2004)
* ''Live in Tokyo'' (CD and DVD ) (Shanachie, 2015)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsui, Keiko
1961 births
Musicians from Tokyo
Japanese emigrants to the United States
Japanese jazz musicians
Japanese jazz pianists
Japanese pianists
Japanese women pianists
Living people
MCA Records artists
Narada Productions artists
Pony Canyon artists
New-age pianists
Smooth jazz pianists
Japanese women in electronic music
21st-century Japanese pianists
Japan Women's University alumni
Shanachie Records artists
21st-century women pianists