Japanese pianist and composer
Takashi Matsunaga |
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Birth name | Takashi Matsunaga (松永貴志, Matsunaga Takashi) |
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Born | (1986-01-27) January 27, 1986 (age 38) Kobe, Japan |
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Genres | Jazz |
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Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
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Instrument | Piano |
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Website | takashimatsunaga.com |
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Musical artist
Takashi Matsunaga (松永貴志, Matsunaga Takashi, born 1986), sometimes known professionally as Takashi, is a Japanese jazz pianist and composer.
Life and career
Matsunaga was born and raised in Kobe.[1] At the age of five he first played a piano and Hammond organ that his father had.[1] His father also took him to jazz clubs.[1] After winning an electric organ competition at the age of ten, Matsunaga took lessons from Tadao Kitano, who also taught Makoto Ozone.[1] 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.[1] As an 18-year-old, Matsunaga was promoted by Toshiba-EMI as "the youngest pro jazz pianist in Japan".[1] Storm Zone, his 2004 release and debut album for Blue Note, contained only his original compositions.[2] 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."[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".[1]
Discography
An asterisk (*) after the year indicates that it is the year of release.
As leader/co-leader
Year recorded
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Title
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Label
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Notes
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2003*
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Takashi
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Toshiba-EMI
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Trio
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2003*
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Moko Moko
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Toshiba-EMI
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2003
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Storm Zone
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Blue Note
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Trio, with Daiki Yasukagawa (bass), Junji Hirose (drums)
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2004*
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Today
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Somethin' Else
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2006*
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Inorganic Orange
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Somethin' Else
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Trio
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2008*
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Love Makes the Earth Float
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Somethin' Else
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Trio, with Hiroaki Mizutani and Daiki Yasukagawa (bass; separately), Akira Sotoyama and Junji Hirose (drums; separately)
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2013*
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Good News
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Somethin' Else
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Main source:[3]
References
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National | |
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Artists | |
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