| Wildflower |
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|
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| Released | February 24, 2004 |
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| Recorded | June 2003 – July 2003 |
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| Studio |
- H.Y. Studio
- Planet Joy Studio, Tokyo, Japan
- Sound Dali
- Yamaha Ikebukuro
|
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| Genre |
|
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| Length | 49:28 |
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| Label | Narada |
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| Producer | Kazu Matsui |
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|
White Owl
(2003)
|
Wildflower
(2004)
|
Walls of Akendora
(2005)
| |
Wildflower is the seventeenth studio album by jazz keyboardist Keiko Matsui, released in 2004 on Narada Records.[1] The album peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.[2]
Critical reception
Professional ratings| Review scores |
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| Source | Rating |
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| AllMusic | [3] |
Jonathan Widran of AllMusic, in a 4/5-star review, remarked, "The spiritual and charitable-minded Japanese keyboardist, who blends ethereal new age textures with a rich soul-jazz sensibility better than anyone, is in top form on her 14th studio release. Like its recent predecessors on Narada Jazz, the CD features songs that are all about the landscape between subtlety and drama, elegant piano melodies and improvisations, dramatic flute and sax harmonies, and rich ambiences dense with percussion...Matsui is always so consistent that it's hard to decide if one album ever tops another, but like most albums in her catalog, Wildflower is irresistible in its execution of incredible dynamics throughout."[3] Brian Soergel of JazzTimes noted "Matsui throws in Old World-music elements while keeping her head firmly in the present with some new keyboard sounds and, as always, gets help from her husband, shakuhachi flute player and producer Kazu Matsui...Matsui's music was made for headphones, where you can zone out even as you mentally download the complexity of her music, which can often sound simplistic during initial listenings.[4]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Keiko Matsui.
| Title |
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| 1. | "Flashback" | 4:48 |
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| 2. | "Facing Up" | 4:33 |
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| 3. | "Sense of a Journey" | 4:28 |
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| 4. | "Brand New Wind" | 4:29 |
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| 5. | "Eldest of All" | 4:06 |
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| 6. | "Reflections" | 4:23 |
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| 7. | "White Castle" | 4:31 |
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| 8. | "Temple of Life" | 3:46 |
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| 9. | "Seeker" | 5:07 |
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| 10. | "Stone Circle" | 4:58 |
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| 11. | "Wildflower" | 4:19 |
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Personnel
- Akira Jimbo - drums, percussion
- Derek Nakamoto - arranger, programming
- Hajime Hyakkoku - arranger, programming
- Heigo Yokouchi - arranger, programming
- Kazu Matsui – producer, shakuhachi
- Kazunori Miyake - arranger, programming
- Keiko Matsui - piano
- Masamichi Nanji - saxophone
- Masato Arai - executive producer
- Shinobu Ishizaki - saxophone
- Tatsuhito Naruse - engineer, mixing
- Tomohito Aoki - bass
References