ERIKA MATSUO

Jazz Vocalist /Composer

"Her singing is heartfelt and honest. She sings with depth and passion. What a joy to hear her"- Sheila Jordan -

"Erika's voice is filled with sentiment and warmth. She integrates both passion and gentle emotion into her lyrics" - Dr. Lonnie Smith

"Obsession is a promising debut...beautifully produced, finely performed"

- All About Jazz

Erika Matsuo was born and raised in Fukuoka, Japan. She had extensive classical piano lessons from a young age and grew up listening to Japanese pop music. “I started singing a little in junior high and then in high school I won an award in a karaoke competition. That inspired me to focus on singing.” As a member of the Tear Drops, an all-female rock group, she won first prize in the Yamaha Teen Music Festival in 1994. After she met jazz pianist Yusuke Hirado, her musical direction began to change. “With him I improvised over pop structures and I found myself wanting to learn much more about jazz.” Erika had a recording session with Hirado during her first visit to New York in 1997.

Back in Japan after the initial four-month U.S. visit, Erika found that she missed New York and the jazz scene. Three years later she returned, studying for a BFA in jazz voice at the City College Of New York. “I learned jazz repertoire, theory, and studied with the great Sheila Jordan. She taught me a lot about jazz history. It was not just the singing but how to communicate with instrumentalists, how to present myself on stage, and a lot of lessons about life, She was very inspiring.”

Erika started singing in local clubs and restaurants while attending college and that increased greatly after she graduated. She has since performed at such major NY venues as the Blue Note, Jazz At Kitano (regularly for over ten years), the Rockwood Music Hall, Sweet Rhythm, B.B. King’s, and S.O.B.’s in addition to regularly touring Japan and appearing at jazz festivals. Among the awards that she has won have been the prestigious Pro Musica (given to graduating music majors at City College for distinguished service in the cause of music) and first prize in Japan’s Asakusa Jazz Contest. In 2017 she was named Lifetime Ambassador of Tourism for the city of Fukuoka. Recently, the City Council chose her to compose and write lyrics for the anthem for the new elementary school in her hometown of Miyama City which will be opening in the spring of 2023. Erika is a certified voice teacher, coach and also a recent graduate of the New York Vocal Coaching Voice Teacher Training Program under the instruction of Justin Stoney

Back in 2007, Erika Matsuo made her recording debut on the single “Close My Eyes.” In 2010 she recorded her first album, Obsession, and it was followed by True Colors (2013). True Colors was picked as “Finest Vocal Album of 2013” by the prestigious Japanese jazz website jazzpage.net and it was awarded first place in the Jazz Page Readers Poll. Since then she has recorded Nostalgia (2015) which features the legendary organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, Reflections (2017), the single “The Christmas Song,” and Here And Now. In addition, Erika was invited to be a guest singer on albums by trumpeter James Zollar (All Good People), Stacey Kent (I Know I Dream), and bassist Leo Traversa.

Each of Erika’s recordings serves as a snapshot for how she sounded at that point in time. “Here And Now is about living my life now because we never know about the future. I’ve been in New York for 20 years and touring for 15 so this is a celebration of that period while also looking towards what is to come.” Due to the pandemic Erika had more time than usual to work on the album and she put a lot of extra care into the performances. Her two originals are particularly special. “By My Side” was written for her best friend Rui who died in a tragic car accident. Rui inspired and organized the girls’ rock group in which Erika had played in high school. “She was an amazing pianist who also played guitar for our band. She is the one she encouraged me to be a musician.” Erika also wrote the music and the lyrics for “Home” (which is dedicated to her parents) in addition to co-composing the lyrics to the funky “Piece Of A Dream” and the grooving “Beyond The Breeze,” and contributing the music for “Here And Now,” an optimistic piece that has words by Monday Michiru. “Monday Michiru was my muse when I was a teenager,” remembers Erika. “I later met her in New York, we became friends, and she contributed “If You Believe” to this album and “Always” to my previous Reflections.

With its all-star cast (which includes pianist-keyboardist-arranger Art Hirahara, guitarists Juancho Herrera, David Gilmore and Romero Lubambo, pianist Helio Alves, altoist Steve Wilson, Yosvany Terry on soprano, keyboardist Gil Goldstein, vibraphonist Tyler Blanton, and bassist Essiet Essiet among others), Erika Matsuo is heard at her best, whether it is on her originals, a scat-filled “The Song Is You,” Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Brigas Nunca Mais,” or straightforward versions of “Both Sides Now” and “In My Life.” Her warm voice, relaxed phrasing, and versatility make this a particularly memorable recording.

When asked about her musical evolution and goals for the future, Erika Matsuo says “As time passes, I am better at expressing myself, am more comfortable with who I am, and am more open to singing about deep feelings. For the future, I want to be freer in my singing, always be improving as an artist and a human being, and be inspiring to others. As for now, it feels so good to get to perform in front of audiences again!”

ERIKA MATSUO　〜プロフィール〜

福岡みやま市生まれ、ニューヨーク在住ジャズボーカリスト。みやま市観光大使。幼少よりクラシックピアノを学ぶ。
高校時代、ヤマハTeen’s Music Festival九州大会に出演し、親友とのオリジナル曲を演奏して優勝。
1997年、クアシモードの平戸祐介と長崎で出会い、当時平戸が活動していたバンドのボーカルに誘われ、東京行きをニューヨークへ変更、渡米しレコーディングをする。
2000年に再渡米し、ニューヨーク市立大学のJAZZプロフェッショナル科へ入学、シーラ・ジョーダンに師事。ハーレムの教会で10年間聖歌隊メンバーとして歌う。
2003年ニューヨーク市立大学JAZZプロフェッショナル科卒業。優秀な学生に贈られるMusic Awardを受賞。
2005年から年に２回全国ツアーを開催。
2007年3月浅草ジャズコンテスト、ジャズボーカル部門でグランプリを受賞。
2007年7月爽健美茶のCMソングを歌う。
2007年アルバム「I Close My Eyes」をリリース。
2009年アルバム「OBSESSION」をリリース。
2011年ノースキャロライナにあるカーテレット・コミュニティ・カレッジ、ジョスリンホールにて、東日本大震災のベネフィットコンサートをする。
2012年3月、ニューヨーク州ロングアイランドのジャズフェスにて、Monday Michiruのライブにゲスト出演。
2013年アルバム「TRUE COLORS」をリリース。
ギル・ゴールドシタイン、ドクター・ロニースミス、ホメロ・ルバンボ、スティーブウィルソン等、世界トップミュージシャン17名とレコーディング。本作は、JazzPage.Netで、２０１３年ベストジャズボーカルアルバム3位、ジャズマンオブザイヤー2位、ベストジャズボーカリスト部門6位をそれぞれ受賞。
2014年、デュークエリントン、カウントベーシー楽団のトランペット奏者、ジェームスゾラーのアルバム
『All Good people』に参加。
2014年3月、有吉のウーマン・オンザ・プラネットに4週連続ゲスト出演、バラエティー番組でも幅広く活躍する。
2015年、アルバム「Nostalgia」をリリース。
2015年8月、ニューヨークで行われたタレント・モデルのローラのレコーディングに参加。
2017年3月、アルバム「Reflections」を日本でリリース。Monday Michiruや、平戸祐介も楽曲を提供。
2017年9月、「Reflections」を全米でリリースし、9~11月CD発売記念日本全国ツアー。
2017年10月、福岡県みやま市のふるさと観光大使に任命。2017年、平戸祐介の新プロジェクト、Yusuke Hirado Prospectのアルバム、『Heritage』のリリースツアーに参加、全国のタワーレコード、中州ジャズ、長崎NBCテレビなどで共演。
2017年　ジャズボーカリスト、ステーシー・ケントのアルバムに参加。
2018年、NYの老舗クラブ、Blue Note New YorkやJazz At Kitano等で１０年間毎年演奏。
その他多数のジャズクラブで定期的に演奏する。
2019年、RKB毎日放送テレビ『池尻和佳子のトコワカ』にゲスト出演。インタビューに加え、オリジナル曲
『I Close My Eyes』『Reflections』をスタジオで演奏。2021年　アストラッドジルベルトや、タニア・マリアイバンリンスのバンドのベーシストでも有名なリオ・トラべーサのレコーディングに参加2021年９月ニューヨーク20周年記念 & ジャパンツアー15周年記念アルバム「Here And Now - 今ここに」をリリース。

2021年9月ニューヨーク・ヴォーカル・コーチング創設者ジャスティン.ストーニーの直接指導のもと、New York Vocal Coaching Teacher Trainning を修了しNYVC 認定ヴォーカルコーチになる。

2022年 2023年4月開校予定の福岡みやま市の高田小学校の校歌の作詞＆作曲をする

2022年 New Yorkの人気クラブRockwood Music Hall とBlue Note Jazz Club でニューアルバムHere and NowのCDリリースライブをする。