| Soul Quest |
|---|
|
|
| Released | July 30, 2013 |
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| Studio |
- Aftershock Studio, Westwood, California
- Automotive Recording, Irvington, New York
- Brady Sound, Ronkonkoma, New York
- Czech Republic
- East West Studio 2
- Memphis, Tennessee
- New York, New York
- NMG Studio, San Pedro, California
- Stagg Street Studio, Van Nuys, California
- Summit Music
- Tarpan Studio, San Rafael, California
- The Comforter Studio, Memphis, Tennessee
- The Hannibal Studio, Santa Monica, California
|
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| Genre | Jazz, smooth jazz |
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| Length | 49:27 |
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| Label | Shanachie |
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| Producer | Keiko Matsui |
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|
Altair & Vega with Bob James
(2011)
|
Soul Quest
(2013)
|
Journey to the Heart
(2016)
| |
Soul Quest is a studio album by jazz keyboardist Keiko Matsui, released in 2013 on Shanachie Records.[1][2] The album peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.[3]
Critical reception
Professional ratings| Review scores |
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| Source | Rating |
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| AllMusic | [4] |
Jeff Tamarkin of Jazz Times wrote "Everyone can use a good shakeup once in a while to put things into perspective, and the nervous system of Japanese-born pianist and composer Keiko Matsui certainly underwent a serious reboot when she found herself in a Tokyo train station during the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan. That scare, balanced out by a happier occasion, the 25th anniversary of her U.S. recording debut in 2012, inform the music on Soul Quest, not surprisingly a work of contrasting emotions and sensibilities."[5]
AllMusic's Thom Jurek, in a 4/5-star review, exclaimed "Soul Quest marks pianist Keiko Matsui's 25th recording anniversary. Since the very beginning, her crystalline piano and accessible yet harmonically rich compositions have been mainstays, not only on the smooth and contemporary jazz scenes, but also on the charts. She enlisted an all-star studio group to assist her on these ten tunes, nine of which she wrote or co-wrote...Soul Quest's greatest achievement lies in its diversity, and in the way Matsui applies her imagination as a composer, improviser, and arranger. It ranks with her finest work."[4]
Track listing
| Title | Writer(s) |
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| 1. | "Dream Seeker" | Chuck Loeb/Keiko Matsui | 5:47 |
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| 2. | "Black Lion" | Keiko Matsui | 4:02 |
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| 3. | "Top Secret" | Chuck Loeb/Keiko Matsui | 5:47 |
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| 4. | "A Night with Cha Cha" | Keiko Matsui | 5:30 |
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| 5. | "Moving Mountain" | Keiko Matsui | 2:55 |
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| 6. | "Antarctica: A Call to Action" | Keiko Matsui | 5:51 |
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| 7. | "Soul Quest" | Chuck Loeb | 4:12 |
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| 8. | "Proof" | Chuck Loeb/Keiko Matsui | 5:01 |
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| 9. | "Two Hearts" | Keiko Matsui/Narada Michael Walden | 5:49 |
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| 10. | "Stingo" | | 4:33 |
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Credits
- Andy Snitzer – soprano sax
- Brian Dunne – drums, engineer
- Cameron Stone – cello
- Chuck Loeb – arranger, engineer, guitars, keyboards, producer, programming
- Craig Burbidge – engineer, mixing
- Danny Weiss – executive producer
- Dave Darlington – mastering
- David Mann – engineer, flute, horn arrangements, saxophone
- Derek Nakamoto – arranger, drums, keyboards, loop programming, producer, sequencing
- Eric Baines – bass
- Fernando Saunders – bass
- Giulio Carmassi – trumpet
- Grecco Buratto – acoustic guitar
- Jim Reitzel – engineer, keyboards, mixing
- Keiko Matsui – vocals
- Ken Freeman – engineer
- Kirk Whalum – engineer, tenor saxophone
- Narada Michael Walden – arranger, drums, producer, programming, vocals
- Will Lee – bass
References
- ^ Keiko Matsui - Soul Quest (album). Shanachie Records. 2013.
- ^ "Internationally Acclaimed Pianist Keiko Matsui Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of U. S. Recording Career With New Album On July 30 And U. S. Tour, August 4 - December 21, 2013". All About Jazz. July 29, 2013. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ^ "Top Contemporary Jazz Albums" (PDF). Billboard. November 2, 2013. p. 57. Retrieved September 7, 2025 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Keiko Matsui - Soul Quest: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ Tamarkin, Jeff (April 6, 2014). "Keiko Matsui: Soul Quest". Jazz Times. Retrieved September 7, 2025.