This exclusive jazz central concert features matsui playing her unique blend of jazz & new age instrumental compositions before a live studio audience. Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 06/03/2003 Run time: ... more »83 minutes Rating: Nr« less
"The BET production facility was quite good -- an amply sized staged, good lighting, excellent camera work, and an intimate crowd of between fifty and one hundred.Keiko opened with the title track of her most recent studio release, "Whisper From The Mirror". She then travelled back in time, covering favorites from many of her studio releases, including the ever popular "Safari" and "Bridge Over the Stars".The special treats of this performance are the only live recording of "Foot Steps" -- a wonderfully extended version of this song -- as well as a shakuhachi version of "Light Above The Trees". The finale -- her "Blues Jam", which has never been recorded in any format, is always a favorite and brings the house down at her concerts -- if you've never seen it before, you're in for show!All in all, a wonderful and classy performance by Keiko..."
This DVD is of 5 star in every aspects.
HIFI enthusiast | S.F. Bay Area, CA. USA | 03/03/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sonically, the DTS is very very clean and well mixed. No over done surround that make lots of music videos sound artificial. Therefore I can't hear much of difference between DTS and 2 channel ( this is by no means a bad thing though ). All the tracks are well chosen and are of her best. Here is a list of her albums that I own and in the order from my most favorite:1. Dream Walk
2. Deep Blue
3. Full Moon and a Shrine
4. Doll
5. White Owl
6. Whisper in the Mirror
7. Under the Northern Lights Video is very clean as well. Well match the mood of the music. Classy and simple. I appreciate the good taste of the production. This is a jazz video so don't need all the fancy high tech visual effects IMHO. Keiko herself is awesome! Her whole persona is like magic. I am Chinese so I probably appreciate more of her subtle, low key and subdued style. She is just LOVELY! If you are Keiko fan then this DVD is a must have for you."
Tight-Superior dts sound
johnhjohn | kcmo usa | 01/10/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Keiko at her finest. Sound is tremendous. If you have dts you will know what I mean. Super tight band. What more can I say?? Keiko, the true professional."
A must own DVD
Rajendra Kumar | Bangalore, South India | 12/01/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After a few listens, I decided that this DVD is a "must own" performace. Comparing to Diana Krall, Keiko's handling of the keyboard looks a little rough, very business like but she gets the sound that we want to hear. She starts with "Whisper from the mirror".. moves through to "Bridge over the stars" .. a typcially racy smooth jazz number. "White gate" is my favorite.. a dash of Al DiMeola, Santana, El Chicano etc. Kazu is a genius on Shakuhachi, very enjoyable music. Check out the audio CD "Walls of Akendora" by Keiko - it comes with a BONUS DVD.."
Excellent jazz show by a talented, gracious performer
J. Lizzi | Costa Mesa, CA | 06/11/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Keiko Matsui brings to the stage of BET Jazz a solid performance of some of her more well-known songs (as of 2000), complemented by a good supporting band and the virtuoso bamboo flute playing of her husband, Kazu. Typical of most of Keiko's music, many of the numbers introduce a musical motif, move on to an improvisational middle section, then end with a more glorious layering of instrumentation. Any follower of smooth jazz will recognize her formula, and it plays well for this show.I would describe most of the numbers as uplifting; however, some diversity is added with the heartfelt "Forever, Forever," written for Keiko's daughter, the ethereal compositions featuring Kazu's flute ("shakuhachi" in Japanese), and the jazzed up tempo to some of the hits. "Bridge Over the Stars" was noteworthy with it's altered (from the original studio version) tempo and much cooler ending. "White Gate" was really up-tempo with bass and drums alternating flourishes. Keiko works well with the other band members and trades off some hip riffs with sax-man Greg Reilly on a song or two. Personally, I'm not convinced that the shakuhachi works all that well as a jazz instrument, but I can't criticize the inventiveness in employing a traditional Japanese flute along with contemporary jazz instrumentation. Jazz aside, the last song is a BLUES number, trading off between featured soloists, including Kazu ("Wanna check it out?") with his breathy flute intro.Overall, the camera work, editing and the sound quality are all very good. No major negatives with this disc, although the run time of 84 minutes left me wanting a bit more, and the DVD extras aren't that captivating (11-minute interview with Keiko and a 30-second TV spot). Still, this is a performance that any jazz fan can enjoy."