{"id":10476,"date":"2011-10-20T02:10:40","date_gmt":"2011-10-20T02:10:40","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-15T00:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T00:04:09","slug":"musician-akiko-moriyako","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=10476","title":{"rendered":"Musician Akiko Moriyako"},"content":{"rendered":"

Akiko Moriyako<\/strong> is a musician of rare elegance, whose sound poems \u2013 whilst wholly contemporary \u2013 convey a depth and tranquility that could only be inspired by ancient Japanese tradition.<\/em><\/p>\n

For her extraordinary debut album, she chose to reinterpret the work of international reggae star Maxi Priest, or rather those songs that in Akiko\u2019s<\/strong> own words, \u201cremain hidden.\u201d She uses the analogy of a Samurai sword left unsheathed because while some of them were hits, the majority can only be found on Maxi\u2019s albums and have seldom been performed on stage. Despite their obvious merits, they\u2019re among the more gentle and restrained songs of his repertoire.<\/p>\n

Akiko\u2019s <\/strong>approach is an unusual, yet richly rewarding one. Unlike Charlie Hunter or Ernest Ranglin who\u2019ve translated reggae classics into jazz, she\u2019s chosen to reach into the very heart of these songs and reinterpret them with the same delicacy of awareness as a master of Ikebana or Kado, the Japanese \u201cway of flowers\u201d would, wherein nature and humanity \u2013 and in her case, music \u2013 are joined together in perfect harmony. The results are often trance-like and impressionistic, as heard in the best of New Age music. <\/p>\n

Asiance: Akiko, it is a pleasure to meet you. Can you tell us a little about how you got started as a musician and performer?<\/h3>\n

Akiko Moriyako:<\/b> At 6 years old I learned the Yamaha Organ in music school and began performing. Over the years, my abilities increased and I met and collaborated with many musicians around the world. I presently tour all around the world with many of them. <\/p>\n

Asiance: Your first Album, “The Vibes” is based on the music of Maxi Priest. What drew you to his music? <\/h3>\n

Akiko:<\/b> I think Maxi Priest is not just reggae music. Many of his songs are beautiful but relatively unknown.<\/b><\/p>\n

Akiko Moriyako – Sublime from the Vibes
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