Bruce Von Stiers

On the heels of last year’s masterful hit, Deep Blue, Keiko Matsui in once again gracing the public with her terrific music. She has a new album coming out titled The Ring. It is being released on the Narada Jazz label.

The Ring is Keiko’s fourteenth effort. The theme behind this new album is a message of peace, humanity and compassion to all who listen to it. There are ten songs on the album for a little over forty nine minutes of great inspirational music.

The press information for the album included descriptions of the songs. The first song, Steps of Maya, came from Keiko’s interpretation of the Mayan culture. I found this song to be very interesting. Because this Indian race was very colorful and compassionate, the song has many levels to it.

The second song is Venus of the Sea. It starts out with a light piano string and then moves into a bossa nova type of beat. The song moves around a little bit after that, giving you a whole bunch of different beats.

Moon Circle comes next. It is a haunting song that could have you imagine ghosts out on the moor dancing. In the middle of the song, there is a stretch that could be interpreted as a moonlit chase scene.

There are some songs that remind you of background music for a movie scene. Prism is one of those songs. It has an intensity that you might find in music for a movie scene where the hero is waiting in the Square for the beautiful female agent to show up, the film cutting back and forth between the two of them.

Then we have The Next Plateau. It sounded like a stormy night, with daybreak in sight. Messenger is a song that is laced with guitar music. It makes the song pretty diverse in its imagery.

Deity in the Silence has a mystic Oriental beginning. It starts with a gong and then moves onto triangles mixed in with piano. There is a part where you might imagine someone stealthy moving in the darkness and then prancing about in the light.

The title song, The Ring, reminded me of a dance around a slightly dark and vacant room. There is an intimacy there that you can just feel as you listen to the song.

White Owl is a Latin tinted song. It also made me think of a dance. Only this time it was two lovers showing a crowd what it’s all about.

The last song on the album is Precious Time. It is a light tune that evokes thoughts of time together in a fine mist or walking down a shady lane.

Listening to The Ring proves what critics and fans have been saying about Keiko Matsui for years, that she is great and that her music is very moving. She continues to win both praise and awards for her music. If you could only add one album to your jazz collection this year, then The Ring should be it.

By the time you read this, the album should be in stores. You also might want to catch a live performance. Keiko will be on tour for The Ring the remainder of 2002, stopping at venues like the Catalina Jazz Festival and the One World Theater in Austin Texas. For more information about the album, or the tour, visit the Keiko Matsui web site. It can be found at www.keikomatsui.com.