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Matsui
plays CSULB, promotes breast cancer awareness
Jazz
• Keiko Matsui performed her eclectic
brand of jazz at the Carpenter Performing
Arts Center on Saturday, in front of a full-house
crowd of her fans. Carpenter Performing
Arts Center
By
Brooke Karli
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
Jazz
artist Keiko Matsui delivered a powerful
performance Saturday night at the Cal State
Long Beach Carpenter Performing Arts Center,
proving once again why she has been named
one of the most prominent modern contemporary
jazz icons.
With
20 years of experience and 15 records under
her belt, there is no question as to why
pianist Keiko Matsui left the audience with
a standing ovation.
The
elegant and mystical Matsui accomplished
intense musical climaxes with the help of
a saxophone, bass, percussion, drums, acoustic
and electrical guitars, along with a keyboard
and grand piano.
"Matsui
and her able ensemble turn each piece of
music into a graceful, highly evocative
and very accessible work of art," wrote
jazz magazine Jazziz.
Each
piece had a separate identity, sewn together
by the soul of jazz and the heart of Matsui.
"Sometimes
when I'm playing, I feel like I'm in a completely
different dimension," Matsui told the
Pasadena Star-News in 2001.
There
is a story to each song; an inspiration
to be found. Whether a song's basis is found
in a country Matsui has visited, such as
South Africa, Morocco, Turkey or Finland,
or in a book about a childhood television
show, there was meaning to all that was
played.
"The
First Four Years" was a smooth, light-hearted
piece reflecting a book written by Laura
Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie.
Another piece, "The Safari," had
Matsui swiveling her hips to the salsa tempo.
Other
pieces included some alternative rock, hard
metal and tribal beats. Her ensembles were
truly passionate and powerful, while her
piano playing was fluid and breathtaking.
"Keiko
Matsui's music connects people around the
world, as oceans do," wrote Global
Rhythm magazine.
Keiko
Matsui has been a Yamaha Music Foundation
piano prodigy since age five, finding inspiration
in the works of Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder,
Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Maurice Jarre and
Nino Rota.
After
composing a film score and releasing four
albums with a jazz band called Cosmos, Matsui
went solo in 1987, beginning her career
with the album "A Drop of Water."
In
1996, after the release of her eighth album,
Matsui was named Top Indie Contemporary
Jazz Artist of the Year by Billboard Magazine.
Since then she has also been honored with
the American Society of Young Musicians'
Essence Award, along with three National
Smooth Jazz Awards'— two for Best
Female Artist and one for Best Long-Form
Video Achievement.
To
date, Matsui has sold over one million records
within the United States alone.
Matsui
is also a humanitarian who donates portions
of her proceeds to benefit marrow donor
and breast cancer research programs.
In
1997, she launched a tour dedicated to raising
awareness of breast cancer, also releasing
the album "A Gift of Hope," which
benefited the Y-Me Breast Cancer Organization.
Her 2001 release of "A Gift of Life"
raised money for The National Marrow Donor
Program and The Marrow Foundation in hopes
of increasing the awareness of a shortage
in bone marrow donors.
Her
current album, "Wildflower," benefits
the United Nations World Food Programme's
efforts to end hunger in Africa.
Matsui
has also worked with the Susan G. Komen
Foundation and has been featured on Lifetime
television for her efforts to end breast
cancer.
"We
select one or two causes each year. We like
to share what we have, because we have a
good life and a good family," Matsui
told Jazz Times in 2003.
If
you are interested in finding out more about
Keiko Matsui and her upcoming tour dates,
logon to www.keikomatsui.com, where you
will also find photos and links to her charities.
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