Takashi Matsunaga
Takashi Matsunaga | |
|---|---|
| Born | Takashi Matsunaga (松永貴志, Matsunaga Takashi) 1987 Kobe, Japan |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations | Musician, composer |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Website | takashimatsunaga.com |
Takashi Matsunaga (松永貴志, Matsunaga Takashi; born 1987), sometimes known professionally as Takashi, is a Japanese jazz pianist and composer.
Life and career
Matsunaga was born in 1987[1] and raised in Kobe.[2] At the age of five he first played a piano and Hammond organ that his father had.[2] His father also took him to jazz clubs.[2] After winning an electric organ competition at the age of ten, Matsunaga took lessons from Tadao Kitano, who also taught Makoto Ozone.[2] Matsunaga played his first concert as a professional when he was 15, appeared on television in 2002, then signed with Toshiba-EMI and released his first album the following year.[2] As an 18-year-old, Matsunaga was promoted by Toshiba-EMI as "the youngest pro jazz pianist in Japan".[2] Storm Zone, his 2004 release and debut album for Blue Note, contained only his original compositions.[3] In 2012, he recorded for the anime Kids on the Slope, which narrates the story of two teenagers playing jazz, one piano the other drums.
Playing style
"Matsunaga has a busy, almost frenetic, bop-based playing style, with dense clusters of notes and a profusion of riffs and melodic ideas."[2] All About Jazz reviewers of his album Storm Zone identified numerous influences on his piano style;[4][5] an AllMusic commentator wrote that "he had yet to mature into a distinctive individualist".[1]
Composing style
A reviewer for The New York Times commented that Matsunaga composes in "various stylistic idioms, including Latin-tinged numbers [...] gentle ballads [...] and swinging tours de force".[2]
Discography
An asterisk (*) after the year indicates that it is the year of release.
As leader/co-leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003* | Takashi | Toshiba-EMI | Trio |
| Moko Moko | |||
| 2003 | Storm Zone | Blue Note | Trio, with Daiki Yasukagawa (bass), Junji Hirose (drums) |
| 2004* | Today | Somethin' Else | |
| 2006* | Inorganic Orange | Trio | |
| 2008* | Love Makes the Earth Float | Trio, with Hiroaki Mizutani and Daiki Yasukagawa (bass; separately), Akira Sotoyama and Junji Hirose (drums; separately) | |
| 2013* | Good News |
Main source:[6]
References
- ^ a b "Takashi". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h McClure, Steve. "A prodigy of piano and Japan's jazz master". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ^ van Vleck, Philip (28 February 2004) "Takashi". Billboard 116.9. p. 49.
- ^ Gladstone, Michael P. (10 March 2024). "Takashi: Storm Zone". All About Jazz. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ Hurst, Craig W. (18 August 2024). "Takashi Matsunaga: Storm Zone". All About Jazz. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2015.