THE "NEW ROAD" OF KEIKO MATSUI

Keiko Matsui's music is exciting, eternal, passionate, emotional, exotic and full of harmony and rhythm. The Baku audience first came to know the renowned Japanese pianist last year when she performed on the sidelines of the Baku Jazz Festival. Keiko then performed her best hits for the Baku audience. And now the famous Japanese is here in Baku again. Her current concert, like last time, was held at the Heydar Aliyev Palace. Keiko presented the Baku audience and visitors to the city with a new concert programme "The Road..." and performed new songs from her album. The Road..." is Keiko Matsui's first album in four years, supplementing her previous no less famous 2007 album "Moyo", which was inspired by South Africa. According to Keiko, before this project, she spent a lot of time thinking about the soul. "I am on a new path now and have gone far enough, but still, I believe that life is wonderful. Even difficulties create beautiful tapestries, and the path continues...," Keiko says. One of the most important and recognizable elements of Keiko Matsui's music is her talent for composing unforgettable melodies, which she describes as "a mirror or reflection of herself at any moment". "I always wanted to write melodies that remain in people's hearts as traditional or classical music and live forever," the pianist says.

The first track, which opened the pianist's Baku concert, is "Secret Pond". The song is a spiritual relationship with Keiko's melody and was inspired by a letter the artist once received from her fan. "One day, one of my American fans sent me a note, saying that my music returns people back to the sources of their souls," she said. "I remembered his words, and this song reflects the beginning of the journey of our life." Another song by Keiko - "Embrace & Surrender" - emits tenderness and warmth. Her emotional attachment to the meaning of this song surpasses every note. When the pianist plays this melody, the audience gets so much emotion that some people cannot hold back their tears. Her music combines all into one. The key point of her latest album, "The Road...", which was presented in Baku, is Keiko's collaboration with the famous Cameroonian bassist, guitarist and vocalist, Richard Bona, who co-authored the songs "Nguea Wonja" and "Touching Peace".

Keiko Matsui is an unsurpassed master and feels free in any musical genre. "The Road..." demonstrates a combination of such diverse styles as jazz, classical music, rock, blues, world music and traditional music of the world and beyond. All these feelings are conveyed in the Bohemian Concerto - an exciting and final song of the concert programme "The Road...". According to Keiko, the song was born in the last minutes of her three-week tour of Eastern Europe. The idea of intertwining music and spirituality is the main theme of her career. She often compares the process of writing songs with a prayer. Keiko's ritual consists of patience and devotion. "I always find time to compose music," the artist explains. "I sit in front of the piano, in complete silence, and wait for a tune to come out of nowhere. The wait can take a whole day, but when I finally hear the first notes, I immediately begin to record them."

According to most music critics, Keiko Matsui goes beyond all limits of classes and categories. Keiko's talent outshines others, while her amazing melodies are just breathtaking!

The Baku concert had a full house. Her unique performances both on the grand and electronic piano were accompanied by a lengthy standing ovation. She did not forget to thank the audience for their applause. After the concert, which lasted an hour and a half, the pianist repeatedly returned to the scene in response to the spectators' applause, each time presenting unforgettable musical numbers.

Keiko Matsui began her solo career in 1987, presenting the album "A Drop Of The Water", recorded jointly with her husband Kazu during their honeymoon and with their own savings. This was followed by contracts with well-known record companies, but the biggest success came to the pianist in 1992, when she began working with the jazz music publisher White Cat. From that time, Matsui's records began to take top lines on the world list of the most popular and best-selling artists. One of the most successful ones was the album "Sapphire", released in 1995. However, critics favourably evaluated the subsequent discs "Deep Blue", "The Ring", "Wildflower", etc. In the more than three decades of her music career, Keiko Matsui has released 22 albums.