B'z guitarist Matsumoto, pianist Uchida win Grammys

Takahiro Matsumoto, guitarist in the popular Japanese rock duo B’z, on Sunday won the Best Pop Instrumental Album award at the Grammys, sharing the prize with American jazz fusion guitarist Larry Carlton for their collaborative album ‘‘Take Your Pick.’‘

Japanese classical pianist Mitsuko Uchida was also awarded a Grammy, winning Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra, while the Best Contemporary Jazz Album award went to the Stanley Clarke Band, which includes Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara.

The Paul Winter Consort, joined by Japanese koto harp performer Yukiko Matsuyama, won the Best New Age Album award.

Kent Nagano, a Japanese American music director for the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, won the Best Opera Recording award. He has served as Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa’s assistant conductor in the past and won the same award in 1995 and 2001.

Matsumoto, 49, said, ‘‘I had never told anyone until now, but the Grammys was one of my dreams and a big goal.’‘

He and Carlton performed six songs each on the award-winning album. ‘‘Larry Carlton and I performed freely and got along well and I was reminded of how good the harmonies of guitars feel,’’ Matsumoto said.

Matsumoto debuted in 1988 as a member of B’z along with vocalist Koshi Inaba, and the duo has released a series of hits and sold more than 44 million albums, a record unrivaled by any other artist in Japan.

The band was inducted into Hollywood’s Rockwalk in 2007 for its contribution to the development of the music world.

Uchida, 62, was honored for her recordings of piano concertos by Mozart with the Cleveland Orchestra. ‘‘Receiving this award gives me special joy as I have worked with them (Cleveland Orchestra) for a long time,’’ she said in a statement.

Uehara, 31, also released a statement saying, ‘‘As a member, I am very honored to have received the Grammy award.’‘

Past Japanese Grammy Award winners include musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, who won the Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written For A Motion Picture Or Television in 1989, and synthesizer performer Kitaro, who won the Best New Age Album award in 2001. Kitaro was nominated for the same award but did not win it this time.

The Grammys are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and cover about 100 categories in various music genres.

Source: Japan Today

- Justin -

About the "Author"

Justin Vawter Greco Buenagua *

An architecture student. A fashion and design blogger. Total sucker for S.H.E.! Wishes to be married to Ella Chen someday (sorry Richard!) I created this blog just to share everything I love about C-Pop. Who would have thought this would become like this? Thank you for reading! Keep the love for Asian music alive! :)

2/15/2011