Collection is a rather unusual CD sampler in that the dozen selections by keyboardist Keiko Matsui are drawn from just two releases: Northern Lights and No Borders. As it turned out, those were Matsui's only MCA sets, and they led to her becoming a major star in the pop/jazz world. The musicianship is excellent on this CD, and the electronics have not dated too much. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

CD $11.38

One of the spiritual minded, jazz meets mystical keyboardist's best early efforts, helping her bridge from pure Eastern tinged new age music into gently funky smooth jazz. With styles ranging from R&B (the Eric Marienthal punched "Light in the Rain") and fusion, to Medieval Folk music ("In the Mist," "Three Silhouettes"), and her trademark new age ("The Wind and the Wolf"), there are certainly no borders on this collection. Matsui's sense of melody keeps on growing, her improvisational sol   [ read more ]

CD $11.38

Matsui's major label debut combines everything from chamber like organ effects ("The Ruins of Sonora") to punchy sax driven pop ("Mountain Shakedown") to orchestral film score sweeps ("The Gate") in expanding her palette further beyond Eastern sounds. Poetic, image laden pieces dominate, but her chops as a keyboardist are tested on more exotic solos. It's another all star affair, with Eric Marienthal, Brandon Fields, Robben Ford, Abe Laboriel, Paul Jackson, Jr. and {$Grant Geissma   [ read more ]

CD $11.38

Keiko Matsui is usually classified as a jazz musician, which tends to mean that she doesn't get very good reviews, since she is reviewed by jazz critics, while her music actually is best described as a hybrid consisting of equal parts pop, jazz, and new age. Matsui can be an impressive keyboard soloist at times, but her recordings consist of textured tracks that find her featured playing set within a soundscape characterized by synthesized drums and strings. Whisper From the Mirror, her 11th album,   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

Keiko Matsui's last album, 2000s Whisper From the Mirror, was picked up and reissued by the Narada label in 2001, and Narada is also releasing her 12th album, Deep Blue. It's an appropriate match-up for the Japanese pianist, since Narada is known primarily as a new age label, and, though her records are being released on its Narada Jazz imprint, "new age" is actually the best category to place her in. From the start of her career, Matsui has been shelved under "jazz," but th   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

For those who like a little mysticism and classical influence in their smooth jazz, Japanese-born composer and keyboardist Keiko Matsui has long been the ticket. She was Billboard's number one Independent Contemporary Jazz Artist in 1997 and is the top New Adult Contemporary female instrumentalist of her time. In the early days (she's up to 14 albums now), Matsui did it with a mix of thunderous film score-like sweeps, elegant and jazzy piano command, and a guest sax solo here and there    [ read more ]

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There's no more spiritual experience in contemporary jazz than a live show by composer/keyboardist Matsui, who blends lush keyboard melodies, explosive improvisations, and a true Eastern spirit drawn from her Japanese heritage. White Owl, a special-edition CD/DVD, captures Matsui's vibrant 2002 live performance at Bunkamura Orchard Hall, Tokyo, where she played many of her best-loved tunes with her regular band (including the prominent Michael Ghegan on sax, Mel Brown on bass, and hu   [ read more ]

CD $18.98

The spiritual and charitable-minded Japanese keyboardist, who blends ethereal new age textures with a rich soul-jazz sensibility better than anyone, is in top form on her 14th studio release. Like its recent predecessors on Narada Jazz, the CD features songs that are all about the landscape between subtlety and drama, elegant piano melodies and improvisations, dramatic flute and sax harmonies, and rich ambiences dense with percussion. Tying in perfectly with her current humanitarian work with Un   [ read more ]

CD $17.08

This auspicious introduction to the many aspects of the composer's skills finds her surrounded by a slew of L.A.'s top players, some of whom had yet to begin their own solo careers at this point: Grant Geissman, Brandon Fields, Robben Ford, Nathan East, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Jimmy Johnson. Matsui balances a mystic Eastern edge with a lighthearted new agey pop appeal. "Ancient Wind" and the Geissman co-composition "Mediterranean Sand" are the best cuts, building from pastoral ide   [ read more ]

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If there's such a thing as poetic music, Matsui continues her discovery of it on this effort. For all its beauty ad more aggressive touches, this collection doesn't quite measure up to her previous collection No Borders, but there are moments of fusion in her work here which cook like never before, thanks to Eric Marienthal, Gerald Albright and guitarist Ron Komie. While husband/producer Kazu Matsui adds his mysterious shakuhachi wind to "Grey Cliffs," Matsui spends her time creating   [ read more ]

CD $41.78

If we're talking Keiko Matsui, we can expect another impressionistic album cover which belies the often explosive music on the disc. Matsui draws a little more from her heritage this time but textures it with soulful excursions ("Walking on the Bridge"). She once again gives radio a seductive earful while continuing her heightened exploration into more challenging orchestral sounds and several impressive, wildly percussive Latin journeys (e.g. "Sail South"). Making perfect use of Lenny Castro   [ read more ]

CD $41.78

This pop-jazz recording by Japanese pianist/keyboardist Keiko Matsui is actually better than many comparable contemporary jazz recordings. The melodies are catchy and charming but rather low-key, most of the pieces are quite atmospheric ("1942, From Russia" sounds like a piece from a Hollywood epic), and several unusual moods (for pop-jazz, that is) are explored. Matsui's piano playing is interesting and adds further substance to the music. The other musicians include various session playe   [ read more ]

CD $16.13