Showing posts with label Masako. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Masako. Show all posts

New Age-Ambient-Jazz Review: Masako-Lost there Found here

Release Date: May 24th, 2024

Label: ‎Independent

Website

Masako has consistently released her solo piano compositions year after year. The artist is locked in a very productive cycle. Once an artist gets to that point in their career, they want to keep recording in fear of losing that momentum and creative process. It makes sense to me.

Lost there, Found here will be out soon. It features twelve tracks of new-age ambient jazz sounds that will surely make their mark, as always.

"Spirit Forest" is a musical narrative that begins with a deliberate, slower approach, gradually transitioning into more delicate and light tones. The shift in the pattern and the notes played profoundly mirrors the ethereal power a forest holds. This track is a testament to Masako's ability to evoke emotions through her music.

"Miracle of Spring" is a breathtaking spectacle, mirroring nature's awakening as leaves and flowers start budding and eventually burst into bloom. If you're fortunate enough to witness the four seasons, this is a particularly poignant time, a true miracle of life. The piano captures these moments, starting with anticipation, then building momentum, and finally gently receding, much like the foliage we witness each year. The piano is in full bloom, guided by Masako's skilled fingers.

"Walk Together" is the second longest track at 5:01. It starts with an excellent acoustic guitar strumming and lovely wordless vocals, with the piano entering the celebration of the light-hearted walk through your own space in time. Painted on an empty canvas in your mind's eye, then blending a palette of colors through all the sounds and textures in the song. It has a cool jazz feel to it with new-age undertones.

"Ice Blue," like the sky in the cover art, brings an airy feeling to the atmosphere. The piano's significance cannot be understated; it is gorgeous and adding a trumpet to accompany those lovely notes gives the track additional ambiance and beauty. As cool as ice and clear blue as the sky, this one was one of my favorites. It provides a listener with moments to pause and reflect.

"Reasons" may be the artist saying through her instrument that giving titles related to nature inspires the music, and there are many valid reasons for this. The song is filled with rhythms and brief seconds of space between notes, hoping you will find the same inspiration to protect and love Mother Earth. It ends with low notes, firmly making you believe this is serious business.

"Brooks and Cascades" starts with a violin, then the piano enters, followed by some wordless vocals to give the track a heavenly feel. It sets you off on your journey through the beauty and wonders of nature once again. It is picturesque and tells a story that you will want to relive.

"Somber Day" has the mood and tones you would expect based on the title. We all have those days, but perhaps it's sad for the world with our nature and habitats being polluted and destroyed. It is a hard look at reality through the lens of the elegance of a solo piano song.

"Winter Tale" is the parallel universe "Miracle of Spring." There is a dissimilar approach to this season, the one of harsh temperatures, snow, and ice. It is all beautiful watching from the warmth of a house; however, when you venture into it, your mood can change quickly. The flute is a nice touch, and once again, the wordless vocals give it a touch of class. The song has a finality and sadness, yet the piano notes are soothing and hopeful.

"Mid-Hudson" features a catchy rhythm pattern that exudes joy. The violin returns, injecting more substance and thought into the track. It is a toe-tapper, which I usually reserve for other genres. The contagious rhythms get your spirit to move and your body in motion, just like the river with the name Hudson, as some soft percussion adds more spice to the mix.

"Homebound" is full of promise as you return to your comfort zone. It is a concise track, quite a step away from the previous tracks' complexities and lengths.

"Camino del Monte" is lively and colorful, imbued with the artist's feelings for the location being honored. It instantly pulls you in as you listen for hints of what it may look like there. It is a pleasing track.

"Into the Dusk" is appropriate for closing out this recording. The temperament is fixed on the unwinding of the day as the sun goes down and darkness begins changing the light and mood. The violin hints at sadness at the end of another day, yet the piano's delicate notes promise a new day.

Masako has created a masterful group of compositions highlighting her focus and high skill level. It is solo piano music at its best on Lost there Found here.

It is solo piano music at its best on Lost there Found here.


Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-NAMR Founder

May 8, 2024


Tracks:

01. Spirit Forest (3:24)

02. Miracle of Spring (4:24)

03. Walk Together (5:01)

04. Ice Blue (4:15)

05. Reasons (2:50)

06. Brooks and Cascades (4:44)

07. Somber Day (4:18)

08. Winter Tale (4:197)

09. Mid-Hudson (5:06)

10. Homebound (2:33)

11. Camino del Monte (3:43)

12. Into the Dusk (3:38)


Contemporary Instrumental Review: Masako-Wanderlust

Release Date: June 11, 2021 (on artist site)

Label: Independent

Website

 


Wanderlust
will be my fourth recording covering Masako’s music. When the announcement comes through for such an artist you feel instant gratification and anticipation. For my listening experience, this initiates comfort and knowing. Not so much knowing what to expect but to know that what I will hear I will be completely immersed in.

While I enjoyed all of Masako’s releases to this point, I believe Wanderlust exhibits an exceptional advance in maturity. I say this because each track is brilliant and quite different. She has mastered the art of diversity and utilizes the other instruments in the mix to her advantage.

The one track that caught my ear as different than anything she has ever done was “Forestology.” It is like a cool breeze, a lovely mixture of ambient, contemporary, jazz, and electronic. It sounded like something I may have heard on another album from a jazz innovator like Ponty, Corea, or one of those luminaries. I loved it of course, and feel now the sky is the limit for this artist.

Then there is the cello and horns in gorgeous and poignant tracks like “Shades of Memory.” Speaking of “Diversity,” as I mentioned earlier, I did not realize it was a track until it came up. It is quite simple and direct with just Masako and her piano. I think the message here is different than the one I was conveying. I believe what she is saying with the track is that the world is a diverse place of many cultures, religions, and backgrounds. With the beauty and soft invitation of her piano, she extends a worldly handshake to all listeners. Reaching out with music is very powerful and words can be a strong statement in the track title alone. This is all accomplished in a little over three minutes.

To coincide with that thought process, “Year of Love,” perhaps speaks to the virus that invaded our lives last year. The love of each other and the healing powers of music are a very effective combination. My inner being acknowledges music as such, as I am sure it does with many listeners. The music speaks to you in many ways. The connection we have with it is universal and spiritual. This track evokes the tides of the ocean and the sounds pull you out to the sea of sound and sweep you away for some time of relief. Over six minutes of excellent musicianship and emotion is tied into this track. It is a masterful instrumental and one of the best on the album.

Wanderlust is an amazing achievement for a solo piano artist. Masako continues to push the musical envelope with each successive release. As a very particular and hard-to-impress listener, I found it an absolute joy to experience from start to finish.
 

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder
May 22, 2021

 

Tracks:

01. Lily of the Valley (2:10)
02. Ocean and You (7:18)
03. Wintering Birds (4:56)
04. Forestology (5:13)
05. Wanderlust (4:54)
06. Lake Willoughby (3:34)
07. Shades of Memory (5:02)
08. Diversity (3:12)
09. Year of Love (6:04)
10. Aquifer (4:34)
11. Wisdom of The Heart (4:45)

 


Contemporary Instrumental Review: Masako-Hidden Flowers

Release Date: May, 25, 2020
Label: Independent
Website
I appreciate having a history with an artist, especially one that I can fully appreciate. This is the third Masako recording I have had the honor of covering.

Before the latest Hidden Flowers, I can reach back to 2017 with Piano Sanctuary and to 2019
with Underwater Whisperer.Knowing how much I enjoyed the previous of this talented piano player, it was just a matter of letting the music play. Then once it begins the process of it melting into my soul comes easy and naturally.

Hidden Flowers has twelve tracks of Masako leading the way with her flowing and concise piano style. Once again, the chemistry of recording at Will Ackerman’s studio comes through with the artist going from strength to strength. All production was by Ackerman, Tom Eaton, and Masako.

I think what I always admire the most with Masako is that she handles each composition as an individual piece of art. And even though the approach is that singularly focused, it comes together as one cohesive recording.
 
Tracks like “Observing M31” are light and airy featuring some lovely vocals and some rolling rhythmic piano playing along with some EWI from Premik Russell Tubbs (it sounds like a nice woodwind flute) to give it that extra layer of spice and texture. It is one of the many stand out tracks you will hear on Hidden Flowers.

Then with tracks like “Southbound Flyway,” which are filled with colorful and lively rhythms, which endeavor then succeed to paint a picture. Then you have Jeff Oster’s flugelhorn enhancing the mix to help create that scenery within the mind’s eye. It is undoubtedly the piano that always leads the way however the additional instruments make the tracks more whole and adventurous for potential listeners.

Tracks of beauty are perfected through the ivory keys and presented beautifully on Hidden Flowers. I think the title of the recording my suggest that flowers are hidden within in each song for you, the individual listener, to discover. I stopped to smell their fragrance and elegance once again through the talented fingers of Masako.


Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
May 18, 2020


Track List:

01.  Harajuku Memoir
02.  Age of Flowers
03.  Acadia
04.  Remember the Rainy Day
05.  Blossom River
06.  Observing M31
07.  Forgiving
08.  Eternal Bliss
09.  Southbound Flyway
10. Suddenly Cherry Blossoms
11.  Winter People
12. Central Park Retreat 



Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Instrumental New Age Review: Masako-Underwater Whisperer

Release Date: June 21, 2019
Label: Masako Music

I found Masako through her Piano Sanctuary release.  And I found a sanctuary through her music. Now two years have passed and Underwater Whisperer is delivered. If you look at the track titles it all lines up with the album title and colorful illustration on the cover.

What I see is a young lady communicating with her surroundings (arms raised to get attention?), the ocean, the polar bear, an iceberg, and sea creatures. Masako communicates with her music but what she is trying to say as well is very important. The thought process here evolves around nature and perhaps a cry for some reasoning around what is happening to the polar ice cap. It is melting away with rising sea temperatures.  Anyone with any sense of reality can see what is going on with our environment. And what is accomplished here is a lot more than a whisper.

You will enjoy 11 tracks of instrumental elegance from the fingers of Masako. The production values are excellent when an artist goes to Will Ackerman’s Imaginary Road Studios and Tom Eaton provides all the meticulous production work. They are two of the busiest men in the music business.

I think the entire album delivers on the promise of tranquility and a meditative or contemplative state of consciousness. Two tracks in particular were my favorites. “Sea Pearls” is 7 minutes and 20 seconds of pure piano bliss.  And “The Deep” is the one I chose to add to my Spotify New Age Music Reviews playlist. It is a step away from the norm, a very different, atmospheric ambient haunting track, as she puts aside the acoustic keys and opts for the electric sound and the perfected vocals of Noah Wilding. I loved it because it is outside of the comfort zone if you will of the rest of the album. Masako takes a chance and comes out the other end triumphantly, offering another side of her musical repertoire that will get long time listeners some ideas of possibly hearing more of that type of approach and sound on the next release.

The piano alone can say a lot but when you add the cello, flute, Chapman Stick, wind synthesizer (an interesting instrument), and percussion it is like a small orchestra adding layers to the one layer of piano. Together as one it can mesmerize and send you to dreamland within one track. It is a thing of beauty that can only be accomplished by a seasoned group of professionals covering every nook and cranny in a song in regards to musicianship and production.
 
It did not take long for Masako to become one of my favorite artists in the new age genre and with Underwater Whisperer my interest and respect for her music continues to grow wings and fly with her every step of the way.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
July 22, 2019

Founder of:

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Instrumental Solo New Age Review: Masako-Piano Sanctuary

Release Date: September 21, 2017
Label: Masako Music

Masako’s music is different than any other instrumental solo piano music I have heard. She creates a wonderful new age sound that could be compared to others in the genre but it is distinct and her own as well. It will all make sense once you listen.

With Piano Sanctuary, an aptly titled project by the way, she takes you on a course of enlightenment through 12 tracks. Her clarity and fluidity on the ivory keys is an awesome thing to listen to.

What strikes me the most about this music is that each track is very melodic and full of warm textures and rhythms. Every bit of it comes from deep within the soul of a true artist. 

Piano Sanctuary in a literal sense can be achieved through listening to this solo piano music. It is meant for the new age music genre and it easily crosses over to contemporary instrumental and classical. So, in other words, this music is so powerful and singular that it can touch the hearts of many without having to categorize it. 
 
There are no boundaries to overcome, all you have to do is listen and you will decide what it can do for you. This was such an enjoyable experience for me that it flowed steady like a clear running stream and before I knew it, the music stopped. Even though those warm and fuzzy feelings felt like they would end, they did not. The sounds and ambiance of the tracks on this recording allowed me to stay at peace and keep that feeling.

That to me is a huge accomplishment in a world filled with a multitude of distractions and things to do within a 24-hour period. Time goes by quickly however when I get in a groove and listen to music like Masako’s, time stands still. So, in essence, this music was everything and more than I could expect in one sitting.

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
November 8, 2017
Founder of:

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks: 
01. When You Were Little
02. Ragrima
03. The Bird and the River
04. Midnight Sun
05. Central Park Retreat
06. A Tale of Lonely Otter (Piano Solo Version)
07. Sailing
08. The Land We Called Hope
09. The Lost Estate
10. Koto (Japanese Ancient City)
11. Frozen Quarry
12. Tender Stories