( omposutions Ketko Matsui ~er/YVoN~Japan, itis said chacif children begin music lessons on June 6 following their fifth birthday, they will keep studying for a long time. nist Keiko Matsui was taken to her first piano lesson on that very day when she was five and she hasn't looked back since. ciko Matsui is an icon of contemporary jazz. With over 1.2 million units sold in the U.S. alone and packed concert halls, she is one of .e most recognized artists in the genre. Her elegant piano melodies and gente jazz grooves have enormous appeal and never disappoint er loyal fanbase which she has cultivated with over a dozen albums and stunning live shows. /ALLS OF AKENDORA, Matsui’s latest recording of all new material, showcases her signature sophisticated jazz style on ren tunes tat range from the classically-inspired co bold and brassy. “Akendora,” she explains, “is a fictional place of my own device! Ie is a place Lat I go to co find peace and ro spend contemplative moments.” The ‘walls’ of the title do not refer co any barriers around this haven, ut rather milestones, “e's like marking your child's height on the wall. I's about seeing where you have been and where you can go,” re explains. farsui has taken her music to extraordinary places since chat fateful day of her first piano lesson. By the time she was in junior high ‘hol, she began composing and developing a taste for jazz, drawing inspiration from a variety of classical and contemporary composers anging from Chopin, Mozart, and Rachmaninov to Chick Corea, Keith Jarrete, and Stevie Wonder. At the age of 17, Matsui was hosen to record for the Foundation, and chac same year, she composed her first film score. fatsui commenced her solo recording career with 1987's A DROP OF WATER. The album established Matsui as a talent of nore. Her ubsequent albums, including UNDER NORTHERN LIGHTS (1989), NO BORDERS (1990), NIGHT WALTZ (1991), CHERRY LOSSOM (1992), DOLL (1994), SAPPHIRE (1995), and DREAM WALK (1996) furcher cemented her reputation and increased her jopularity. No stranger to the upper reaches of the contemporary jazz album and airplay charts, Matsui was named Top Indie contemporary Jazz Artist OF The Year by Billboard Magazine in 1996. 998 saw the release of Matsui's album FULL MOON AND THE SHRINE, which was accompanied by an acclaimed PBS-1'V special ntitled Keiko Matsui: Light Above The Trees. The special reflected the multicultural nature of Matsui’ life and music and was filmed, n part, at Japan's breathtakingly beautiful 1,300-year-old Itsukushima Shrine and during a high-energy concert in San Francisco, The pecial earned Matsui a National Smooth Jazz Award for Best Long-Form Video Achievement in 2000. She was also honored as the Best ‘emale Artis that year and again in 2001 11 August 2001, Keiko’s album DEEP BLUE spent three weeks at the top of the Contemporary Jazz Chart of Billboard Magazine. 2001 brought about a period of reflection for Matsui and a strong desire to create music that would help heal a world in turmoil. She Segan to contemplate, “Why am I creating music, and as a musician, what can we do?” Marsui also reflected on the futures of children srowing up in a world devastated by violence and hatred. The resule was THE RING — an album intended to communicate a message sf peace, compassion, and humanity to listeners around the world. Her technical and compositional virtuosity chat has become her pallmark, along with the symphonic grandcur of her sound, paired beautifully in chis stitring and emotional album. On 2004's WILDFLOWER, Matsui once again used music as a platform for inspiring good. The album's title track benefits the United Nations World Food Programme's efforts in Africa. WEP is the world’s largest humanitatian agency which, in 2002, fed 72 million >cople in 82 countties including most of the world’s refugees and internally displaced people. “I decided I wanted to support the WEP sfcer learning about the tremendous problems in Africa and how humanitarian assistance can change people's lives for the better,” Matsui said. “So much help is needed there, particularly for the children who have been orphaned or abandoned because of war and AIDS.”Contents Beyond the Light trom aibumtina mirror] 12* Trees from Album [Deep Bluc] 14 wr | Midnight Stone from Albumin a Mirror! 18 *% | Precious Tire rom bunt te Rie 26 to iets ent eee The Next Plateau trom sibum[the Ring! 38 be | Prism trom Albom the Rine! He 460% Forever, Forever tom Album{Full Moon and the Shrine] “55 sre White Castle trom Aleum{WILDFLOWERI 624 | Crescent Night Dreams trom album[Deep Blue] | Special Score Moon Circle ~jor Play-A-Long CD from Album The Ring Deity In the Silence for Play-A-Long CD rom Albam!The Ring) | fe: Beginner sWsntermediate trv: Advanced