I rarely make music recommendations. However this is one album where I felt it would be an utter sin to not spread the word on.
For those that don't know who Keiko Matsui is...she's an artist who takes smooth jazz themes and gives it a slightly oriental flavor. Although you will most likely find her CDs under the jazz section, her music compositions are definitely not purebred jazz. But to lump it into the smooth jazz genre does it a complete injustice as well. It is really so much more then that...well, you'd have to listen to understand.
Her latest CD, White Owl, is actually a (live?) recording of a concert she did in Japan back in 2002. As such, the songs are intermixed between new and old. The "new" songs come from her 2003 album, The Ring.
What makes this CD a must buy though is for the price of the CD ($14.99 when I bought it at Tower Records), you also get a DVD containing her live performance in Japan.
Now, for me, I tend to take any opportunity to see Keiko and her group play as a treasured moment. She is an artist that I have the absolute highest respect for, in that not only does she create great music and take pride in it, but she and her husband are very humble and show a sense of humility regarding what they do. They are also humanitarians, truly hoping that their music can help soothe the troubled souls out there in the world today (and succeeding greatly, from some of the letters written to them). That she continues to dish out amazing music album after album is just icing on the cake. After hearing her music the first time, I have confidently bought every single one of her CDs, and have yet to be disappointed.
It's one thing though to hear Keiko and her group play, but entirely another thing to watch them play. The entire group plays with a seemless harmony that is wonderful to behold.
With all that said...on to a brief review of the CD/DVD set.
I would recommend watching the DVD first, before listening to the CD...just to give your mind a visual image to back up the listening experience. The DVD's sound and visual quality unfortunately is not the greatest. Whoever put together the DVD also made an attempt at cheesy still shots that serves to just throw things off. Probably the worst part though is the translations of what Keiko and Kazu say during the performance...can words be spelled any more blatantly wrong? The translations themselves aren't exactly the smoothest either...just enough to get an idea of Keiko's message.
Other then that though...I still greatly enjoyed the DVD. A great demonstration of Keiko and her group's talent.
As for the CD...here the quality is considerably better. If this was indeed a live recording, then I'm amazed at the quality of the capture. The CD is also an HDCD...an indication of the Matsui's attention to sound quality, as their last 2 or 3 albums have all been HDCDs as well. My favorite pieces would have to be Light Above the Tree, and The Wind and the Wolf, and it was definitely difficult picking out favorites as all the tracks are excellent.
In any event, for those that already know who Keiko Matsui is and/or have her CDs...this one's definitely worth getting. For those that don't know who she is, and want to check her out...this would make a great intro to her music, both aurally and visually.
More info can be found on her, along with streaming radio that plays 5 hours of her tunes (temp down though) at www.keikomatsui.com.
For those that don't know who Keiko Matsui is...she's an artist who takes smooth jazz themes and gives it a slightly oriental flavor. Although you will most likely find her CDs under the jazz section, her music compositions are definitely not purebred jazz. But to lump it into the smooth jazz genre does it a complete injustice as well. It is really so much more then that...well, you'd have to listen to understand.
Her latest CD, White Owl, is actually a (live?) recording of a concert she did in Japan back in 2002. As such, the songs are intermixed between new and old. The "new" songs come from her 2003 album, The Ring.
What makes this CD a must buy though is for the price of the CD ($14.99 when I bought it at Tower Records), you also get a DVD containing her live performance in Japan.
Now, for me, I tend to take any opportunity to see Keiko and her group play as a treasured moment. She is an artist that I have the absolute highest respect for, in that not only does she create great music and take pride in it, but she and her husband are very humble and show a sense of humility regarding what they do. They are also humanitarians, truly hoping that their music can help soothe the troubled souls out there in the world today (and succeeding greatly, from some of the letters written to them). That she continues to dish out amazing music album after album is just icing on the cake. After hearing her music the first time, I have confidently bought every single one of her CDs, and have yet to be disappointed.
It's one thing though to hear Keiko and her group play, but entirely another thing to watch them play. The entire group plays with a seemless harmony that is wonderful to behold.
With all that said...on to a brief review of the CD/DVD set.
I would recommend watching the DVD first, before listening to the CD...just to give your mind a visual image to back up the listening experience. The DVD's sound and visual quality unfortunately is not the greatest. Whoever put together the DVD also made an attempt at cheesy still shots that serves to just throw things off. Probably the worst part though is the translations of what Keiko and Kazu say during the performance...can words be spelled any more blatantly wrong? The translations themselves aren't exactly the smoothest either...just enough to get an idea of Keiko's message.
Other then that though...I still greatly enjoyed the DVD. A great demonstration of Keiko and her group's talent.
As for the CD...here the quality is considerably better. If this was indeed a live recording, then I'm amazed at the quality of the capture. The CD is also an HDCD...an indication of the Matsui's attention to sound quality, as their last 2 or 3 albums have all been HDCDs as well. My favorite pieces would have to be Light Above the Tree, and The Wind and the Wolf, and it was definitely difficult picking out favorites as all the tracks are excellent.
In any event, for those that already know who Keiko Matsui is and/or have her CDs...this one's definitely worth getting. For those that don't know who she is, and want to check her out...this would make a great intro to her music, both aurally and visually.
More info can be found on her, along with streaming radio that plays 5 hours of her tunes (temp down though) at www.keikomatsui.com.
