Anthology
Kishino Yoshiko's Change Is...

Date：10, Jun, 2017
Investigated and Written by Misaka Youhei
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"Anthology" is a 2015 album of Kishino Yoshiko; a Japanese female jazz pianist, released in commemoration of her debut 20th anniversary. She rearranged and played the songs of her early career again for this album. Now, it can be called as a retake best album. A new song "Prayer" awaits at the tail.

Kishino's originality was, just as her 2000 album "Tenderness" sounds like so, supposed to be something like healing. At least, I believed so. However, listening to her "Anthology" made me notice that she didn't have that one now anymore.

Healing isn't here.

Generally speaking, the more a musician grows up, the thicker his/her sound becomes, like Tak Matsumoto and Wes Montgomery. Some give high praise to it as a solid identity of the musician. I give you fair warning that I don't deny those ones.

Kishino is not exceptional. Her piano sounds thicker than her early career. That might prove her growth. However, in listening, it becomes difficult to feel something like healing. My opinion says thick sound can hardly heal my mind.

That may cause by difference of recording machines. Around 2000, they mostly used analog tapes although we use HD recording system now. In the sense, it might be a superficial opinion that Kishino's originality was supposed to be something like healing.

I've got the two from the "Anthology." One is that we cannot meet her old playing anymore. Is it good or wrong? Probably, both. You can choose, it means.

Another is that we can find something good in the sound which is not so thick. Sometimes, it sounds more beautiful than thicker ones. As mentioned above, I don't deny those ones who give high praise to thick sound. I only desire to say that we can enjoy music more diversely.