Leaving a Paint-by-Numbers Impression

NEWPORT BEACH —  The music of keyboardist-composer Keiko Matsui, full of grand themes and sensitive interludes, succeeds on its impressionistic qualities. But the impressions left by Matsui’s performance Friday at the outdoor amphitheater of the Hyatt Newporter had little to do with grandeur or delicacy. Instead, she left a flat, characterless image with music that throbbed to predictable beats.

Matsui, like keyboard colleague John Tesh, shows a fondness for grandiose anthems backed by simple rhythms. Still, her pieces have always seemed less self-conscious than Tesh’s, and less likely to have endlessly repeated riffs.

But during her first set, Matsui seemed unable to generate the characteristic enthusiasm and sincerity that usually elevates her music above those, like Tesh, who play new age-influenced jazz fusion.

Backed by a four-piece band with electric bass and guitar and playing a litany of tunes pulled from her eight albums, Matsui never developed her trademark warmth and sincerity. Too many tunes opened with softly stated solo keyboard introductions before settling into some kind of groove.

Matsui’s solo excursions were too short to develop more than a quick dynamic climax. Too often the songs seemed to end without warning.

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While some stimulating solo work came from saxophonist Mike Acosta and guitarist Jinshi Ozaki, Matsui herself seemed distant and predictable. Normally an impassioned player, the keyboardist took little time to make a statement, content instead to wind up quickly and get back to the theme.

She opened with a pair of moody, minor-key tunes, “Night Waltz” and “Doll,” that failed to establish any real direction. Contrasting songs, one inspired by a Japanese folk tale, the other by American pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder, both fell flat. Not until the band struck up some solid backbeats did Matsui begin to make an impression.

A thoughtful piece, “Light Above the Trees” from her first album, contrasted nicely with a more upbeat tune, “Fire in the Desert” from her latest. Near the end of the show, Matsui walked out from behind her synthesizer rack and strapped on her shoulder-slung keyboard, the guitar-like device that she has used for years as a signal that she’s about to play some rockin’ blues. But even here she lacked her usual fire.

To make matters worse, calypso music from another hotel event could be heard above Matsui’s unaccompanied passages, often combining with the roar of jets ascending out of nearby John Wayne Airport to drown her out completely.

An ill-advised smoke machine gave the proceedings the look of a weekend barbecue. Despite the standing ovation given by some in the audience, this was not Matsui’s best performance.