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Euphoria is a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness. This joy of playing runs through the entire album like a red thread.

It is based on lifelong training achieved highest virtuosity. It goes without saying that the intended and absolutely achieved playing result can only be accomplished with the best of the best accompanying musicians.

Thus, the album features musicians such as Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Lalah Hathaway, Gregoire Maret, Kirk Whalum and Joel Ross among others. An overview of the musicians involved is provided by the credits.

The album opens with Steps On The Globe a lively melody that inspires the listener with its concise energetic vitality and arouses great interest. Mike Stern is a guitar virtuoso of world renown. The unique thing about The Choice, however, is not his undiscussable mastery of the guitar but the special timbre of his guitar, which gives the song a particular character.

On the contemplative Prairie Morning, guitarist Tony Pulizzi in noteworthy contributes to the soul of the piece on acoustic guitar. The Greek Neo stands for new. Trumpeter and flugelhornist Randy Brecker has his debut here. The piece gets its special dynamic from Alex Al's inimitable bass run.

Keiko's special concern is to spread love with her album. This succeeds particularly expressively with Love And Nothing Less, which celebrates the singer Lalah Hathaway. Grégoire Maret's harmonica is the best conceivable complement.

Luminescence describes the state of a matter that emits in a cold state by glowing. Kirk Whalum and Keiko are the two protagonists who don't have to hide their light under a bushel. Keiko takes us to Latin American realms with the incredibly authentic Tango Rosso Cantabile. The world-famous percussionist Luis Conte contributes significantly to the authenticity.

Yaguarón, a town in Paraguay is called the city of myths and legends. The place name derives from the mythological creature Jaguarú - "big jaguar". Keiko named the song after this city after a visit, when she was impressed by the stone testimonies of the old culture.

Mossy Mountain, a place refers to the West Central Plains of Illinois, the favorite region of Bud Harner, Keiko's manager and producer. The piece is orchestrally structured with a pizzicato intro and bridge. A painterly tonal paraphrase in pastel colors.

Blue Water focuses on jazzy elements, but doesn't lose touch with its romantic references, which Keiko's music stands for in particular.

The title track shows Keiko's inner need not only to write a song for the masses, but to tell a story with her music that appeals to the emotional side. The musicians involved work for the big picture without standing out individually as virtuosos.

The final New Passage is also impressive, which would easily be suitable as film music, but can also stand on its own.

Keiko Matsui's Euphoria is a reflection of her soul and perfectly depicts the different facets of her artistic existence, with some tracks targeting the audience's taste of smooth jazz, Keiko's musical nature ultimately prevails in all.




 


 

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Album Information

Title: Euphoria
Artist: Keiko Matsui
Year: 2023
Length: 0:58:27
Genre: Smooth Jazz
Label: Shanachie Entertainment


Tracks:

1) "Steps On The Globe" (4:20)
2) "The Choice (Featuring Mike Stern)" (4:40)
3) "Prairie Morning" (4:37)
4) "Neo (Featuring Randy Brecker)" (5:57)
5) "Love And Nothing Less (Featuring Lalah Hathaway/Gregoire Maret)" (4:29)
6) "Luminescence (Featuring Kirk Whalum)" (4:47)
7) "Rosso Cantabile" (3:46)
8) "Legend of Yaguarón" (4:34)
9) "Mossy Mountain" (5:25)
10) "Blue Water" (4:26)
11) "Euphoria (Featuring Joel Ross)" (6:39)
12) "New Passage" (4:43)

 

Credits:

STEPS ON THE GLOBE Keiko Matsui - Piano, Melodion; Alex Al - Bass; Gregg Bissonette - Drums; Tony Pulizzi - Guitar;
Luis Conte - Percussion; Ron Pedley - Rhodes, Keys; Wayne Bergeron - Trumpet; Nick Lane - Trombone; Brandon Fields - Saxophone

THE CHOICE (featuring Mike Stern) Mike Stern - Lead Guitar; Keiko Matsui - Piano; Alex Al - Bass;
Gregg Bissonette - Drums; Tony Pulizzi - Guitar; Luis Conte - Percussion; Ron Pedley - Rhodes, Keys

PRAIRIE MORNING Keiko Matsui - Piano; Alex Al - Bass; Gregg Bissonette - Drums; Tony Pulizzi - Guitar;
Luis Conte - Percussion; Ron Pedley - Rhodes; Euphoria Strings

NEO (featuring Randy Brecker) Randy Brecker - Flugelhorn; Keiko Matsui - Piano; Alex Al - Bass,
Gregg Bissonette - Drums; Tony Pulizzi - Guitar; Luis Conte - Percussion; Ron Pedley - Rhodes

LOVE AND NOTHING LESS (featuring Lalah Hathaway & Grégoire Maret)
Lalah Hathaway - Vocals; Grégoire Maret - Harmonica; Keiko Matsui - Piano; Jimmy Johnson - Bass; Jimmy Branly - Drums; Michael Thompson - Guitar; Luis Conte - Percussion; Ron Pedley - Rhodes; JP Mourao - Acoustic Guitar

LUMINESCENCE (featuring Kirk Whalum) Kirk Whalum - Tenor Sax; Keiko Matsui - Piano; Alex Al - Bass;
Gregg Bissonette - Drums; Tony Pulizzi - Guitar; Luis Conte - Percussion; Ron Pedley - Rhodes, Hammond B3;
Wayne Bergeron - Trumpet; Nick Lane - Trombone; Brandon Fields - Saxophone

ROSSO CANTABILE Keiko Matsui - Piano, Melodion; Rico Belled - Bass; Jimmy Branly - Drums; JP Mourao - Guitar;
Luis Conte - Percussion; Euphoria Strings

LEGEND OF YAGUARÓN Keiko Matsui - Piano, Rhodes; Brandon Fields - Flute; Rico Belled - Bass; Jimmy Branly - Drums; JP Maurao - Guitar; Luis Conte - Percussion

MOSSY MOUNTAIN Keiko Matsui - Piano; Jimmy Johnson - Bass; Jimmy Branly - Drums; JP Mourao - Acoustic guitar (solo); Michael Thompson - Guitar; Luis Conte - Percussion; Euphoria Strings

BLUE WATER Keiko Matsui - Piano; Jimmy Johnson - Bass; Jimmy Branly - Drums; Randy Waldman - Marimba;
Michael Thompson - Guitar; Luis Conte - Percussion; Ron Pedley - Rhodes; Keiko Matsui & Bud Harner - Vocals

EUPHORIA (featuring Joel Ross) Joel Ross - Vibraphone; Keiko Matsui - Piano; Jimmy Johnson - Bass;
Jimmy Branly - Drums; Michael Thompson - Guitar; Luis Conte - Percussion; Ron Pedley - Rhodes; John Beasley - Synthesizer; Euphoria Strings

NEW PASSAGE Keiko Matsui - Piano; Rico Belled - Bass; Jimmy Branly - Drums; JP Mourao - Guitar; Luis Conte - Percussion; Euphoria Strings


Further reviews:


Soul Quest

The Road

Live In Tokyo

Journey To The Heart