Customer Reviews

Whisper From the Mirror

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A jazzy-pop-new age blend, this incredibly smooth recording defies being put into a category, which is a testament to Keiko's unique artistry. All the compositions are by Keiko, and are fresh and inventive. The melodies seem to flow from one piece to the next in an endless stream and her musicianship is superb. She's joined on this CD with Derek Nakamoto's "synthesizer and programming", Kazu Matsui on shakuhachi, and Bob James plays piano on track # 11, "Everafter", a piece for 4 hands.

It's a CD that would make great background music, but without ever becoming bland or in any way mediorce...this is exceedingly fine listening, and its subtle nuances become more appreciated with each hearing.

I love this album. It is my favourite of Keiko's. It is delightful to hear the voice and emotion of the piano through Keiko's playing. I have listened to this CD many times and as with much of Keiko's work, the more I hear it the more it grows on me. It is easily as good as Full Moon and the Shrine although different in its content. It shows an evolution of Keiko's career and her strength to carve her own furrow rather than continue with more derivations on the smooth jazz theme. My favourite tracks are 5, 10 and 11. I am also grateful to Amazon and the Internet without which I could not have found this CD so easily in England.

I'm a huge fan of Keiko Matsui, I own all her albums, and this is more of the same of what we got in Dreamwalk and The Full Moon and the Shrine. Those were both great, so what's not to like? She still has the talent for mixing modern jazz with Japanese themes and coming out with somthing that just sounds good - clean, soothing yet energetic, varied and engaging but never harsh, keeping the spirit of real improvisational jazz alive. I think it will appeal to people who, like myself, like the "classic" jazz of Dave Brubeck but also enjoy the recent run of extremely popular Celtic artists such as Loreena McKennit and Enya who draw heavily on traditional themes. Keiko Matsui certainly has elements of all these artists (although I doubt posterity will group her with Dave Brubeck - but we'll see :).

That having been said, I do have some mild reservations about the new albumn. Her style has definately migrated a bit from the old jazz/traditional fusion of No Borders and Sapphire, which are probably my favorite albumns of hers. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, as she is an obviously extremely talented artist either way. Still, I found her earlier albumns to be more expressive and varied than her more recent recordings, which to my mind have wandered somewhat more towards pop-ish; ler latest three albums have become somewhat more of a sameness. I liked the variety of sax, her husband's Japanese flute, and vocal leads which have faded recently into more pure keyboard. She is a keyboard artist, fair enough; but the earlier albums had more of an ensemble feel which I find somewhat harder to find in Whisper from the Mirror.

None of this is to say that Whisper from the Mirror isn't quite good, which it is, and I think will have a somewhat broader appeal than her earlier music; it's certainly more accessible than A Drop of Water, which took me a while to really like. If you liked Dreamwalk and The Full Moon and the Shrine, odds are you'll like this one also. To my mind, though, her earlier albums (Sapphire, No Borders, A Drop of Water) are her best stuff, absolutely top-of-the-line, and this isn't quite up to those standards. If you don't have Sapphire, I'd pick up that first.

This CD is excellent. I like all the cuts and place it in the upper half of her CDs. It differs from most of the previous CDs in that it lacks horns (sax), an instrument she blends well with her piano. The piano work in this CD is terrific, reminding me of "A Gift of Hope" that she recorded earlier also not using horns. Besides the absence of horns, the striking tone of this CD is its introspective nature throughout. It seems less jazzy, more pretty, more tender, less upbeat, the kind of music that is easily played alone on a rainy day. It is a big departure from the last two CDs, Full Moon and the Shrine and Dream Walk. However, like those two CDs, all the songs on Mirror are minus lyrics, a trend I prefer. For Keiko fans, this CD should definitely be in your collection.

If you have listened to the Keiko Matsui Live, you will find another Keiko in new dimensions. While jazzier "Live" let you tap on groovy, uplifting jazz/funk, The "Whisper" can be described as "emotion deep inside your heart".

More emphasis on Keiko's piano than the last composition "Full Moon and Shrine" opened the way for her style to shine out with great brilliancy. The piano on "Tears of the Ocean" and "Midnight Stone" tells poignant passage and teary statements. While orchestral instruments bring rich harmony, some improvisational notes such as on "Torches on the Earth" and "Ever After" stir a translucent cocktail. Arranged by Derek Nakamoto, rhythmic base and use of synthesizer are other flavors added on the whole project.

This CD is an outgrowth of her wish to create her own music that touches the right chord. This classical, jazz, and new age blend took me to the great journey with Keiko for 54 minutes.

To paraphrase an early album title by Keiko Matsui. She simply continues to evolve as an artist and composer. This CD is just breathtaking at times, with songs such as "Between the Moons" (you will not easily forget the synth/piano riff) and "Torches On the Earth" featuring her exquisite touch on the keys. Jazz? New Age? Pop? Who cares. It is simply wonderful instrumental music with both intelligence and heart that you can really get into.

Matsui's eleventh release continues her progression as an artist. Rather than conforming to the formulaic smooth jazz genre, she continues to cut a path uniquely her own. Some may criticize this release for not sounding enough like her previously popular CDs, but that misses the point, as she continues to stretch herself as both a composer and musician. This release is a stunning collection of art, featuring rich melodies and progressions centered on the acoustic piano. The jazziest piece, a four-hand collaboration with Bob James titled "Ever After", alone is worth the price of the CD. Her music here is rich in emotion, feeling, depth, spirituality and beauty -- in short, a compelling example of "Matsui-music".

This is my first Keiko Matsui album and I'm sorry I haven't previously discovered her. I can well understand how she won the Oasis Award for Best Female Smooth Jazz Artist. All of the pieces in this album were composed by Keiko, which exemplify her rare and diverse talent. Her piano combined with Derek Nakamoto on Synthesizer make this album so compelling.Her music is both powerful and emotional-it grabs you and holds you there!The last track is a very impressive four hand piano piece with Bob James. This album is a prayer for all the children on earth who are living hard lives,for their safer and calmer future. July brings her new album, "Deep Blue." I shall be looking forward to it.

As a fan of Keiko, I get this CD as soon as it is available. The music on this CD is original, deep, profound and played as its title. If you are looking for the sound that similar to that "Forever", "Bridge over the Stars" or "Toward the sunrise", its not on this CD. The jazzy sax of Paul Taylor and-or details drum's cymbals of Bernie Dresel were not presented, to complete platform. Instead, the music primarily centered on Piano, violine in the back ground and programmed synthesizer.

To me, the song "Ever After" Piano duo with Bob James alone, worth 15 bucks and additions will grow on you after times.

In A Mirror" by U.S. based Japanese female Jazz Pianist/Keyboardist Keiko Matsui is ... Well, it leaves one dumbfounded and thinking, but still there's no definite term to coin her music. Hers is not simply a hybrid of various musical genres that you will find in many common new-agey `stuff' of today, many of which injects tint or dashes of different musical element here & there. That would be an insult to her music. Hm...Eclectic? Well its still a definition. Or maybe we should just call her music "Keiko Matsui's music".

Done with sophistication, "In A Mirror" shows no traces of intentional fusing. Rather than sticking to her heavily smooth jazz-accented sounding like her earlier albums, Keiko Matsui's music had evolved into a new genre. Groovy smooth-jazz rhythm, haunting, ethereal, melodious notes occasionally embellished with tribatic massive drumbeats and Kazu Matsui's playing of the Shakuhachi flute, all is blended with just the right dosage. That, we'll have to credit it to her classical music training, heavy influence from jazz & of course, the very talented Derek Nakamoto's musical arrangement that places everything to a perfection.

"In A Mirror" is an astounding album that cannot leave a heart not emotionally stirred after listening. Listen to Track 1, "Whisper from the mirror", a heart-rending piece, one will find its lush and rich texture forms an ambience that swirls around one's mind, leaving one feeling ample, filled & satisfied emotionally. *Track 12 "Tree" (only available in the Japanese Edition) stands out from the rest of the pieces for its return to the simplest form. It's the only instrumental piano solo in the whole album, illustrating Keiko's tender playing, caressing every note with ease. Serene, a little quiet perhaps, but a brilliant conclusion for the album, depicting a scenery of rainbow after the rain...