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

7/24/2019

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

11/09/2017

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