Keiko Matsui
with special guest Sahnas Brothers
Keiko Matsui is an icon of contemporary jazz. With over 1.2 million units sold in the U.S. alone and sold-out appearances at concert halls across the world, she is one of the most recognized artists in the genre. Her elegant piano melodies and gentle jazz grooves have enormous appeal and never disappoint the loyal fan base which she has cultivated with over a dozen albums and hundreds of stunning live shows.
Matsui’s latest release, a self-produced album, Moyo (Swahili for "heart and soul") is something of a departure for her. Recorded in South Africa, Japan and the United States with prominent south African musicians, Moyo introduces new sounds and rhythms absorbed from the local cultures. Keiko lived in South Africa while working on the record, “Until the sun went down, I concentrated on composing new material… it was a different but incredible experience.”
Matsui’s Moyo evokes a sense of freedom and independence. Moyo is not onlyher first self-produced album, but it is also the first time she has including so many other guest musicians including a number of contemporary jazz stars; legendary trumpeter Hugh Masakela, tenor sax player Gerald Albright, soprano sax player Paul Taylor, and Richard Bona on bass and vocals. The result, Moyo, is unlike any other album she has recorded. ‘Black River’ from this CD was on the radio charts for 36 weeks, reaching #3.
Matsui commenced her solo recording career with 1987’s A Drop Of Water. The album established Matsui as a talent of note. Her subsequent albums, including Under Northern Lights (1989), No Borders (1990), Night Waltz (1991), Cherry Blossom (1992), Doll (1994), Sapphire (1995), and Dream Walk (1996) further cemented her reputation and increased her popularity.
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. Matsui’s music was prominently featured in Say It, Fight It, Cure It, a special profiling several courageous women who were battling breast cancer that aired on the Lifetime cable television network. In 1999, Matsui performed at "A Golden Moment," a skating concert featuring Olympic figure skaters Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinski, Ekaterina Gordeeva, and Katarina Witt that benefited the renowned breast cancer organization, the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
This performance is rain or shine. *Must arrive early for Meet & Greet, subject to artists availability.
