Keiko Matsui -- Luminescence

 

It's no big secret that I've also been a fan of jazz and fusion, and especially I get interested in some of the Japanese and Japanese-American acts that have graced both our shores. A few decades ago, I was fascinated by the light and fresh nimbleness of pianist Hiroko Kokubu（国府弘子）and in recent years, I was also fortunate enough to have discovered the multi-instrumentalist Yutaka Yokokura（横倉裕）and his dexterity with both Western and Japanese instruments.

Even more recently, I found out about Tokyo-born jazz pianist and composer Keiko Matsui（松居慶子）and I gave a listen to one of the tracks from her latest album "Euphoria", released in 2023. "Luminescence" is quite the glowing traipse through the city with Matsui's piano and her buddy instruments having quite the time together. Piano, bass, organ, percussion and horns all together for one heck of a picnic in the park on a sunny day. 

The name Keiko Matsui rang a bell with me. I did read or hear it once before and as it turns out, she has been mentioned here at "Kayo Kyoku Plus". She was once part of the young keyboard trio known as COSMOS, back when she was known as Keiko Doi（土居慶子）. Another member of the band was current composer Michiru Oshima（大島ミチル）.

COSMOS -- Midnight Shuffle

If it hasn't already been done so, the following song should be adopted and molded into one of those Vaporwave/Japanese Future Funk videos that folks like Artzie Music have been creating. I'm pretty sure there would be fans who would swoon.

During one of my browsings on YouTube recently, I came across the keyboard trio of COSMOS, a band that was brought together by the Yamaha Music Foundation and had its debut in 1981 through the soundtrack for the movie adaptation of the novel "Hyouryuu"（漂流...Drifting）.

In November 1982, COSMOS released their album "Bourbon Suite" with one of the tracks being "Midnight Shuffle", a nice little nighttime boogie. The three core members of the band are leader Yumiko Tanaka（田中裕美子）, Keiko Doi（土居慶子）and Roman Kaieda（海江田ろまん）but they've had musical assistance by artists such as trumpeter Ichiro Nitta（新田一郎）and guitarists Masaki Matsubara（松原正樹）and Fujimal Yoshino（芳野藤丸）. Also, there were other members of COSMOS including Michiru Oshima（大島ミチル）who has gone onto bigger fame with her compositions for video games, TV shows, movies and anime. For that last category, I am watching one of her projects right now, "Little Witch Academia".

A few years later, Doi did her own side gig under KEIKO PROJECT and created the 1985 album "Compositions" which included a cover of "Midnight Shuffle" with some added lyrics and guitars. Perhaps by that time, she was already going by the name Keiko Matsui（松居慶子）.

"Midnight Shuffle" and Doi have reinforced those good memories of the urban contemporary side of synths and horns that I've known through artists such as Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）, T-Square and Casiopea.

Here is COSMOS in action with "Spiral Dream". Not sure but I think they are performing on "Let's Go Young".