Keiko Matsui

At age 19, Yamaha sent Keiko Matsui to America to record an album. In 1987 Matsui recorded her solo debut LP A Drop of Water. Its success led to a deal with MCA Records. The 1990s saw Matsui's albums rising in the charts. Matsui received the Oasis award for Best Female Smooth Jazz Artist of the Year in 1999 and again in 2000. Whisper From the Mirror from 2000 showed Matsui leaving the smooth jazz style and moving towards new age with a soundscape sound(though she continued to play smooth jazz at her concerts). Over time her post-2000 albums show a more worldbeat flavor to them. Her 2005 release "Walls of Akendora," is a return to her smooth jazz roots.