Keiko Matsui | The Road…

Keiko Matsui | The Road…(Shanachie)
By Brian Soergel

Keiko Matsui is a master on the piano or on her portable Yamaha strapped around her neck. She’s showed her technical skills on her CDs, in shows and especially with some remarkable four-hand piano gigs with Bob James. But Matsui, throughout her distinguished career, hasn’t been concerned about earning bravos for her virtuosity, though she certainly has earned the accolades that do come her way.

Matsui, although put into the contemporary jazz category, has always been more about inspiration and hope, her lovely runs on the ivories often putting her on top of new age-music lists. Beginning with her debut CD in 1987, Matsui has sole more than 1 million albums in the U.S. and in a bona fide star in her native Japan. In 2003, she offered a remarkable CD with The Ring, a stunning work that drew inspiration from literature and classic opera.

Matsui’s last CD, Moyo (Heart and Soul), featured collaborations with top jazz stars, a world-music vibe, and an aggressiveness marked by Matusi’s debut as solo producer after her separation from musical partner and husband Kazu Matsui.

Now, with The Road, Matsui combines all of her musical knowledge for another amazing project, one filled with accessible jazz overtones and an acoustic sensibility. The brilliant Cameroon bassist, percussionist and vocal Richard Bona adds to the delight with “Falcon’s Wing,” his deft percussive touch matched by his wordless vocals. He returns with fretless bass on “Nguea Wonja,” a song with African roots.

Legendary session drummer Vinnie Colaiuta works his drum brushes on the soft and jazzy “Embrace & Surrender,” arranged by Derek Nakamoto and featuring some oddly inviting country-style guitar solos from James Hara. “Touch and Peace” is classic new age Matsui, a gorgeous piece with minimalist accompaniment from Bona on bass and Mauricio Zottarelli on drums. She concludes with the title track, an anthemic and smart track with guest Jackiem Joyner—a rising smooth jazz star and a member of her band—on sax.

Keiko Matsui never, ever releases a ho-hum project. That continues with The Road.

Brian Soergel
The Urban Music Scene