Keiko Matsui (松居慶子), born in Tokyo as Keiko Doi on July 26, 1961, is a Japa… Read Full Bio ↴Keiko Matsui (松居慶子), born in Tokyo as Keiko Doi on July 26, 1961, is a Japanese smooth jazz/new age pianist and composer whose music and sophisticated elegance have propelled her to success and established a cult following among her fans. A prolific recording artist, Matsui's career spans three decades, during which time she has released twenty CDs (in addition to various compilations) and has received international acclaim.
Matsui's music is powerful and introspective, blending both western and eastern musical influences. 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 an especial fascination with the moon as a number of her compositions refer to the moon in their titles.
Matsui's music shows signs of evolving over the years. Her American debut album A Drop of Water showed a promise of east meets west with a jazz fusion flavor. However, her recordings for MCA Records in the early 1990s lacked this appeal and, for many, sounded indistinguishable from the rest of what is now known as smooth jazz. Starting with Cherry Blossom, though, her music increased in popularity as she differentiated herself from the rest of contemporary jazz. By the time Sapphire was released in 1995, her music flirted with everything from funk music to latin and world music.
Whisper From the Mirror from 2000 showed Matsui leaving the smooth jazz style and moving towards new age with a soundscape sound. A number of her fans had a problem adapting to her new style of music (though she continued to play smooth jazz at her concerts). But many welcomed the change. Over time her post-2000 albums show a more worldbeat flavor to them. Her 2005 release Walls of Akendora, however, is a throwback to her pre-2000, smooth jazz days.
Matsui's music is powerful and introspective, blending both western and eastern musical influences. 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 an especial fascination with the moon as a number of her compositions refer to the moon in their titles.
Matsui's music shows signs of evolving over the years. Her American debut album A Drop of Water showed a promise of east meets west with a jazz fusion flavor. However, her recordings for MCA Records in the early 1990s lacked this appeal and, for many, sounded indistinguishable from the rest of what is now known as smooth jazz. Starting with Cherry Blossom, though, her music increased in popularity as she differentiated herself from the rest of contemporary jazz. By the time Sapphire was released in 1995, her music flirted with everything from funk music to latin and world music.
Whisper From the Mirror from 2000 showed Matsui leaving the smooth jazz style and moving towards new age with a soundscape sound. A number of her fans had a problem adapting to her new style of music (though she continued to play smooth jazz at her concerts). But many welcomed the change. Over time her post-2000 albums show a more worldbeat flavor to them. Her 2005 release Walls of Akendora, however, is a throwback to her pre-2000, smooth jazz days.
Midnight Stone
Keiko Matsui Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Keiko Matsui:
Don't Turn On The Light Dream with me Enjoy the comfort of a pillow And journey to…
Dragon Wings Iza yuke hikari are Knights knights knights of sidonia Ah ah…
Funny Things Last night I had a magical dream Beneath the light of…
She Prays To The Wind I can see a glimmer of light In a corner of…
Tears From the Sun (Featuring Karla Bonoff) Violet rays of heaven, The misty r…
Voice Of The Heart I can see you standing there Swaying in the sun Trying to…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Bob Webster
i think that this piece really captures the at-times incessant desire
for a stable, unchanging world, and the slow, complacent joy that seems
natural to it, 0:37 then digressing into how it's really a subconscious
wist for growth that is never apparent in it's right form due to a lack
of understanding, and, instead, surfaces, usually at the wrong times, as
some nostalghia or other form of want for the past, which will lead to
either false paradise, because of the nonsustainability of stability,
1:09 a psychologically encumbered life, due to the inability to 'return'
to this paradise, 1:30 or some combination or both.
1:38 it then goes further to show that by understanding the complex emotions that back our lives, we are brought even more pain, and that only intensifies the effect of the complex emotions, making the psychological burden heavier, 2:00 and the paradise taste even more colourful, but farther away.
2:09 it then touches on the idea that with a full, truthful understanding of your emotions and of the world around you, which happens slowly, but with definite progress, you can create your own happiness, 2:59 but if you have to discover these things for yourself in that order, you'll have spent most of your life with same discontent that you wanted to bay away, 3:14 and only in your final moments, when you finally understand, all you'll be able to do is tell others about your life and experiences in hope that someone will listen and not have to be unhappy.
so what can we so about this? the first idea that comes to mind is to avoid all emotions, but this does not work in your favour, because at worst they (the emotions) will be repressed and come back out in a significantly more painful outburst, and at best you'll live without emotions, which is a fine way to live, but it disallows some experiences that could enhance your life. if you want to still have your emotions with all the good things and as few bad things, what i recommend is to learn what others have done, and their advice, learn about the world, about various scientific inquiries that have occurred, learn about different philosophies, and so on, the main idea is to keep an open mind, stay aware, and keep learning about everything. oh, and start as soon as possible, because the later you wait, the less you'll be able learn, the less you'll know. the less you know, the less you'll be able to better yourself. it turns out that it's really simple, and you are the only one that can sufficiently help yourself. i hope that my tone wasn't too indoctrinating, i have trouble with subtleties sometimes. also, feel free to ignore everything i said, because i'm not an expert in psychology or any other field, and this is mainly from my own experience (which is not very great anyway). i hope i was of any help to anyone.
Ismail Soytemiz
Keiko Matsui - Midnight Stone [HD 720px]
Album: Whisper from the Mirror (2000)
Paintings - Ikenaga Yasunari / Japan. Ikenaga Yasunari is a 1965-born Japanese artist. His paintings depict beautiful women, whose expressions and postures suggest a dreamy atmosphere.
Keiko Matsui born in Tokyo, Japan as Keiko Doi, is a Japanese keyboardist and composer, specializing in smooth jazz, jazz fusion and new agemusic.
Keiko Matsui made her US recording debut in 1987 with the recording A Drop of Water. Under Northern Lights followed in 1989 and her subsequent albums of note include No Borders (1990), Night Waltz (1991), Cherry Blossom (1992), Doll (1994), Sapphire (1995) and Dream Walk (1996), which remained on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart for over 15 months and further cemented her reputation as a force to reckon with. In 1997, she launched a tour dedicated to raising awareness of breast cancer, and released a four song CD entitled A Gift of Hope that benefited the Y-Me Breast Cancer Organization. Her music was prominently featured in Say It, Fight It, Cure It, a Lifetime special profiling several courageous women battling breast cancer. “My fans come from all backgrounds and I have been approached by various foundations to join in their efforts. When I hear of a cause that resonates with me that I can dedicate my music to then I am always willing. It is my way to show gratitude and give back,” states Keiko Matsui. In 1999, the pianist performed at "A Golden Moment," a skating concert featuring Olympic figure skaters Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinski, Ekaterina Gordeeva, and Katarina Witt, which benefitted the Susan G. Komen Foundation. 1998 saw the release of her album Full Moon And The Shrine, which was accompanied by the acclaimed PBS-TV special Keiko Matsui: Light Above The Trees. In 2000, the special earned Keiko a National Smooth Jazz Award for “Best Long-Form Video Achievement” and she was honored with an award for “Best Female Artist.” She claimed the award again in 2001. In 2002, she released the poignant recording The Ring, which was meant to communicate a message of peace, compassion, and humanity to listeners around the world.
Keiko Matsui’s CD Deep Blue (2001) topped Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz charts for three consecutive weeks. Keiko is the first Japanese artist to achieve this honor. In 2003 she enjoyed success with her recording The Piano, which featured reinventions of some of her most loved original works. In 2004 the title track of Keiko’s Wildflower was used to support the United Nations World Food Programme’s efforts in Africa. "I decided I wanted to support the WFP after learning about the tremendous problems in Africa and how humanitarian assistance can change people’s lives for the better," shares the activist." Keiko has also collaborated with A3M (Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches) in numerous charity concerts. In addition proceeds from her 2001 mini-CD, A Gift of Life, went to The National Donor Program and Marrow Foundation in support of A3M. In December 2009, the highly sought-after pianist was asked to put together a Christmas show at the Blue Note club in Tokyo, which was a major success and in November 2010 she made her highly anticipated debut at the Blue Note in NY, which was sold out. In 2011 Keiko recorded with fellow pianist Bob James on a four hand piano project called Altair & Vega. Keiko’s depth as a composer has also allowed her to contribute music to soundtracks in Japan, the U.S. and Russia. She also released her critically heralded Top 5 Billboard Recording The Road… which featured Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona and saxophonists Kirk Whalum and Jackiem Joyner among others.
http://youtu.be/zt4I1cJdY54
Ismail Soytemiz
Keiko Matsui - Midnight Stone [HD 720px]
Album: Whisper from the Mirror (2000)
Paintings - Ikenaga Yasunari / Japan. Ikenaga Yasunari is a 1965-born Japanese artist. His paintings depict beautiful women, whose expressions and postures suggest a dreamy atmosphere.
Keiko Matsui born in Tokyo, Japan as Keiko Doi, is a Japanese keyboardist and composer, specializing in smooth jazz, jazz fusion and new age music.
Keiko Matsui made her US recording debut in 1987 with the recording A Drop of Water. Under Northern Lights followed in 1989 and her subsequent albums of note include No Borders (1990), Night Waltz (1991), Cherry Blossom (1992), Doll (1994), Sapphire (1995) and Dream Walk (1996), which remained on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart for over 15 months and further cemented her reputation as a force to reckon with. In 1997, she launched a tour dedicated to raising awareness of breast cancer, and released a four song CD entitled A Gift of Hope that benefited the Y-Me Breast Cancer Organization. Her music was prominently featured in Say It, Fight It, Cure It, a Lifetime special profiling several courageous women battling breast cancer. “My fans come from all backgrounds and I have been approached by various foundations to join in their efforts. When I hear of a cause that resonates with me that I can dedicate my music to then I am always willing. It is my way to show gratitude and give back,” states Keiko Matsui. In 1999, the pianist performed at "A Golden Moment," a skating concert featuring Olympic figure skaters Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinski, Ekaterina Gordeeva, and Katarina Witt, which benefitted the Susan G. Komen Foundation. 1998 saw the release of her album Full Moon And The Shrine, which was accompanied by the acclaimed PBS-TV special Keiko Matsui: Light Above The Trees. In 2000, the special earned Keiko a National Smooth Jazz Award for “Best Long-Form Video Achievement” and she was honored with an award for “Best Female Artist.” She claimed the award again in 2001. In 2002, she released the poignant recording The Ring, which was meant to communicate a message of peace, compassion, and humanity to listeners around the world.
Keiko Matsui’s CD Deep Blue (2001) topped Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz charts for three consecutive weeks. Keiko is the first Japanese artist to achieve this honor. In 2003 she enjoyed success with her recording The Piano, which featured reinventions of some of her most loved original works. In 2004 the title track of Keiko’s Wildflower was used to support the United Nations World Food Programme’s efforts in Africa. "I decided I wanted to support the WFP after learning about the tremendous problems in Africa and how humanitarian assistance can change people’s lives for the better," shares the activist." Keiko has also collaborated with A3M (Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches) in numerous charity concerts. In addition proceeds from her 2001 mini-CD, A Gift of Life, went to The National Donor Program and Marrow Foundation in support of A3M. In December 2009, the highly sought-after pianist was asked to put together a Christmas show at the Blue Note club in Tokyo, which was a major success and in November 2010 she made her highly anticipated debut at the Blue Note in NY, which was sold out. In 2011 Keiko recorded with fellow pianist Bob James on a four hand piano project called Altair & Vega. Keiko’s depth as a composer has also allowed her to contribute music to soundtracks in Japan, the U.S. and Russia. She also released her critically heralded Top 5 Billboard Recording The Road… which featured Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona and saxophonists Kirk Whalum and Jackiem Joyner among others.
http://youtu.be/zt4I1cJdY54
OLJA
Excellent !! Love it ♥ ♥ ♥
nnigani
Прекрасна музика и картини!!
R271172
How beautiful !! I love this piano music. It creates the perfect atmosphere for the paintings ! Bravo Stefi!
Людмила Нарыжная
Very beautiful music, beautiful paintings ... Stefi, wonderful!
Hans-Peter Zürcher
Wow, ein ganz fantastisches Werk liebe Stefi, grosses Kompliment...
Grüsse aus der Schweiz, Hans-Peter
msaito36
Dear Stefi, Thank you very much for your beautiful paintings and music!!!✿*****
I love it!!!
Please spend a wonderful lovely spring!
Hugs♥
Larisa Shik
Wonderful paintings! Very nice work! Beautiful music! Thank you Steffi!
Henry Heriorh
Really wonderful! Unreal Art! Thank you, Stefi! ^_^
Tica - Vita
que delicadeza de pinturas, perfecto con la musica de Keiko Matsui, gracias por compartir
Laura G Photos and Film
Wonderful imagery and song. Thank you, Stef ....