Keiko Matsui - Composer, Pianist

Music crosses borders to form connections between people. Helping to achieve that is my purpose in life.

Based in the USA, jazz pianist Keiko Matsui frequently performs abroad and has fans in many countries. She enjoyed talking about her hard touring schedule, and also told us about where she gets her creative inspiration.

Inspired by “I love your music!”

You have a busy life traveling around the world?

Matsui: Yes, it seems as though I am living in the sky. Especially recently, trips to Eastern Europe and South Africa are increasing. I was in Siberia, Russia, in harsh -28C weather with only with my band members, tour manager, and the lighting director. I apologized to them during the performance for involving them in "survival training." It is not unusual for us to have to take a night train for 18 hours, or travel in a small bus packed to capacity. Once I even made sandwiches in the bus for everyone. I am now quite used to troubles and various happenings on the tour (laughs). At one place, we had to begin the performance immediately upon arriving at the theater, as the plane was delayed. But opening the door of the fantastic opera house to see the full-house audience, and thinking that they had sent e-mails requesting a live performance, impressed us and made us feel so grateful that we never gave a thought to our having to live like gypsies.

Do audience responses differ from place to place?

Matsui: Yes, they do, although in Eastern Europe, all of the audiences deeply appreciate my music. The Ukraine and Russia have their own unique pride. When I made a greeting in Ukrainian, I was told, "You are speaking Russian!" (laughs).
The Russian figure skater Irina Slutskaya has used my music for her free skating routine, so people recognize my music very well. In the Ukraine, a small boy in a formal suit brought me a bouquet and said "I love your music." I was deeply impressed by such elegant hospitality from this young gentleman. Young girls have presented me with balloons and stuffed dolls and bouquets of beautiful roses! This kind of welcome never happens in America, I must confess (laughs). In Europe, where they have a long history of classical music and take pride in their culture, I feel people's great love of music. Maybe Japan is similar to Europe in this sense.

What brought you to South Africa?

Matsui: I was invited to a festival there five or six years ago. I was surprised and truly impressed, as the organizer welcomed me at the airport with a bouquet of their national flower. I was told that an American TV program was broadcast by satellite and I was already well known there. At the concert, they sang "Keiko, Keiko, Keiko, Matsui!" along with the melody. I realized that they are longing for music passionately, because of various difficult circumstances.

Having contact with people of different countries, you must continually have new ideas and ways of thinking.

Matsui: Yes, that's what I mean by "we are connected by music." I really appreciate the opportunity of "connecting" beyond the barriers of religion, history, and so on. Whether it is in America, Europe or Africa, people who come to the concert are united, regardless of origin, in that particular space and time, and I feel that I am living just to create that time and space. There are people who love my music, and I devote myself to them. I believe I can continue on because of them, and that's why we can say "music has no borders."

Becoming a musician step by step.

Now please tell us about your background. You started by learning the piano?

Matsui: My mother was a Japanese dance instructor, but as I showed no interest, she thought music might be a possibility. So I started private piano lessons. The teacher taught me solfége and aural training also, and I think I acquired aural ability quite naturally. When my family moved to Hiroshima because of my father's work, I came to know the Yamaha Music School and learned the Electone. I enjoyed it because music played with the Electone was very different from that played on a piano. Also, I wrote poems just like writing a diary and made songs from them, and I also wrote music for the school festival. We moved back to Tokyo when I was in junior high school, and music became more important to me from the third year. I attended special courses such as a basic composition course. One of my nice memories is of attending a special composing workshop during summer vacation. It was a wonderful experience in working out various difficulties in order to complete a piece.

So you made up your mind to have a professional career?

Matsui: No, not at all! It is true that during my high school days, I spent most of my time writing pieces, even on the train, and going to school and to the lessons, and nothing else. Still, I didn't think of going to a music academy. My Yamaha teacher also advised me that an ordinary university could also give me rich and meaningful experiences. In the meantime, I joined a group named “Cosmos” that produces music for video and film. I have a very clear memory of composing the theme song for a movie called Hyoryu (Drifting). When I received the draft of the film from the author, Akira Yoshimura, I could hear the music's introduction in my mind. Luckily, this piece was selected and when it was played at the preview show, I was really thrilled. I learned through this experience that music for visual art can create something more than 'one plus one equals two'. I tried my best with every chance I was given, although I still did not think I would become a professional musician. When I went to America, I produced at my own expense an album called "A Drop of Water" and that was eventually my debut album, to my surprise. Now I am welcomed by people in America! Life is truly unpredictable!

My music reflects my emotions.

The album “Deep Blue,” released in 2001, was No.1 on the Billboard chart for three consecutive weeks, and since then you have been enjoying great success. Is it true that the album “MOYO” that you released in 2007 has special meaning for you?

Matsui: Yes, this is the first album that I produced practically all by myself. I spent as much time as I wanted to, first visiting South Africa for three weeks just to get inspired and write the music.

Do you usually compose when you are relaxed, or when you make up your mind and get yourself started?

Matsui: I have to be determined to start! Otherwise, I would never get started (laughs). Well, it is possible to compose from the phrases that my hands naturally create, but I don't like to use such phrases. I believe that music should be created specifically for each album. I once took note of a melody that came to my mind while I was flying on a plane, but basically, I would rather sit in front of the piano and wait for the sounds to come to my mind. For my latest album, I stayed in a piano warehouse for many days, and most of the album pieces were composed there. Some of them reflect my life with the sounds I hear when breathing, some describe the beautiful scene of a rising sun in a misty dawn, and some are based on my culture shock from watching a play about the tragedy of mass murder and racial discrimination in South Africa. In short, the album reflects my emotions and love of the people, culture and nature of South Africa. It was the first time that I made an album this way, and I was really happy. The title means “heart and soul” in the Swahili language. A friend of mine shared my happiness after listening to the album, and I was glad about that because I myself am satisfied with its great energy, which I felt was totally different from before.

Please tell us your plans for the future.

Matsui: I am going on tours of America and Eastern Europe, and am planning also to go to Mexico, Latin America and Asia for the first time. Also, I am thinking of doing some collaborations in fields other than music. South Africa is the host country of the Soccer World Cup in 2010, so we're thinking of doing something for this event. It is not for business but to answer the trust and expectation of my fans that inspires me to create.
I don't think my music is jazz, but just "Keiko's music," which may contain classical, rock and other styles blended through my own filtering. In creating this music, I may encounter various hardships and difficulties, but I appreciate and believe in the connection with people who enjoy my music, and thanks to this belief, I will continue touring the world.

Keiko Matsui Offical Website

Profile

Keiko Matsui: Born in Tokyo, began studying the piano at the age of five. She started her career when she was eighteen, having contracted with the Yamaha. She released the album "A Drop of Water" after moving to America in 1987, which was highly evaluated by American music journals. Since then, she has been active and popular in the USA as a creator of smooth jazz. She has played with big names such as Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder, and recently made tours visiting more than sixty places worldwide, winning enthusiastic fans around the world. She will be on tour to Clearwater, Temecula, San Francisco and Seattle, as well as to Mexico, in May 2009, and then on a Japan tour in November, visiting Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.

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