Euphoria

by Keiko Matsui

Overview

Pianist and composer Keiko Matsui has been making records since 1991, but it somehow seems surprising that Euphoria is her 30th album. Matsui makes music that embraces and balances tradition, modernity, and the contemporary in jazz, classical, and pop. She is relentless in adding harmonic and rhythmic invention and imagination to virtually everything she does, yet keeps her music (mostly) readily accessible. Euphoria is no exception. Conceptually, she focuses on music's inherent potential to deepen human experience. With her studio and road bands, and co-producer Bud Harner, she worked at Hollywood's Studio A, while her guests added their individual parts in studios across the country. Opener "Steps on the Globe" juxtaposes big-band horns, contemporary jazz piano, and a Rhodes (by arranger Ron Pedley) with lithe funk thanks to some killer guitar vamping. The swing quotient is high with a horn section soaring above the groove. Guitarist Mike Stern assists on "The Choice"; he tracks Matsui's knotty vamp and rides above Alex Al's rubbery bassline as drummer Greg Bisonette drives them all. Funk meets elegant contemporary fusion, with brief solos by the principal and guitarist. Trumpeter Randy Brecker appears on "Neo." Piano, bubbling percussion, and bass grooves deliver the vamp before Pedley's Rhodes colors the body. Brecker enters unhurriedly playing and improvising on the melody. The conversation he shares with Matsui as the tune ratchets is a set highlight. Immediately following is the single "Love and Nothing Less," featuring vocalist Lalah Hathaway and harmonica player Gregoire Maret. It's a silvery, tender ballad rife with intimate atmosphere, simmering passion, and grace. The interplay between singer, pianist, and harmonicist is seamless. The third consecutive guest spot belongs to contemporary jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum on "Luminescence." Soulful horns, sweeping piano, organ, and Rhodes gather the groove intensity; it's the perfect vehicle for Whalum's tenor solo before trading canny fours with Matsui's hard-bopping blues. "Rosso Cantabile," featuring percussionist Luis Conte, balances traditional tango with Astor Piazzolla's tango nuevo atop brooding groove jazz and classical strings in the set's most dramatic track. "Legend of Yaguaron" is finger-popping, Latin-tinged contemporary jazz that showcases dazzling interplay between Matsui, Conte, and flutist Brandon Fields, whose Dave Valentin-esque solos are breathtaking. Vibraphonist Joel Ross guests on the dramatic title track. Introduced by strings and piano stating the theme, its rhythmic pulses -- on drums and percussion instruments -- are syncopated, shifting time signatures with startling regularity. Ross initially paints the changes while Matsui appends and extrapolates her harmonic reach on the melody, before Ross grounds it in blues in his killer solo. Buoyed by Michael Thompson's electric guitar and arranger John Beasley's synth, Matsui grabs Ross' blues and builds on them, pushing the harmony toward the transcendent. In Matsui's vast discography, Euphoria stands apart for its edifying compositions, musical diversity, and careful yet seamless integration of musicians and themes. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	03/31/2023
Label:	SHANACHIE
UPC:	0016351550323

Tracks

1. Steps on the Globe
2. The Choice
3. Prairie Morning
4. Neo
5. Love and Nothing Less
6. Luminescence
7. Rosso Cantabile
8. Legend of Yaguarón
9. Mossy Mountain
10. Blue Water
11. Euphoria
12. New Passage

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Keiko Matsui   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Melodeon
Gregoire Maret   Harmonica,Featured Artist
Lalah Hathaway   Vocals,Featured Artist
Alex Al   Bass
Wayne Bergeron   Trumpet
Luis Conte   Percussion
Ron Pedley   Keyboards,Fender Rhodes,Organ (Hammond)
Randy Brecker   Flugelhorn,Featured Artist
Jimmy Branly   Drums
Nick Lane   Trombone
Randy Waldman   Marimba
Mike Stern   Guitar,Featured Artist
Michael Thompson   Guitar
Gregg Bissonette   Drums
John Beasley   Synthesizer
Brandon Fields   Flute,Saxophone
Bud Harner   Vocals
Joel Ross   Vibraphone,Featured Artist
Tony Pulizzi   Guitar
Jimmy Johnson   Bass
Rico Belled   Bass
Joao Pedro Mourao   Guitar,Soloist,Guitar (Acoustic)
Kirk Whalum   Sax (Tenor),Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Lalah Hathaway   Composer,Lyricist
Ron Pedley   Arranger,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Keiko Matsui   Composer
Randy Waldman   String Arrangements
John Beasley   String Arrangements