For Your Consideration
”Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album”
The 66th GRAMMY Awards
Masako “Call of The Mountains -Ascent-”
#1 Zone Music Reporter Radio Chart April & May 2023
Past Wins
ZMR: “Album of the Year” (Hidden Flowers)
ZMR: “Best Piano Album w/ Instrumentation” (Hidden Flowers)
ZMR: “Best Piano Album, Solo” (Call of the Mountains)
ZMR: “Best New Artist” (MASAKO)
“(Masako's) music seems to soothe the savage breast like few others… suitable whether you are a New Age fan or a contemporary music connoisseur. Her complex, emotionally enriched compositions seem to capture the moment, hold it long enough for our spirit to appreciate it, and then in the next instant, gives us a new one to contemplate...I caution you not to listen to the first tune Calling on a rainy day. It is so sweetly sad that more than rain will fall. Masako’s soft ballad suggests a nearby mountain whispering your name and Calling. The voices of the past are inviting and inspiring. Comely cello and cascading piano notes blend harmoniously as they beckon you to explore the slopes, the rocky terrain, and the very apex of the mountain.v
- R J Lannan, Zone Music Reporter
“…Much piano music fades into the background and stays there. Masako’s music, on the other hand, requires active listening. So is also the case with her most recent release. It demands something from you – but as soon as you tune in to Masako’s unique brand of storytelling, it is a highly rewarding experience.”
- BT Fasmer, New Age Stars Radio
“Most of her music has been inspired by nature, and she says that she has always loved forests, mountains, streams and meadows. Quoting Masako: ‘When I was a kid living in Japan, I remember often exploring the nearby mountains with my younger sister and the neighborhood kids....My desire to play in the mountains conflicted with my daily piano practice, but I needed both.’”
- Kathy Parsons, MainlyPiano.com
“…expectations are running very high for Wanderlust and I sincerely doubt anyone will be disappointed - not even a little bit! … The eleven tracks are all original compositions and range in style from neo-classical to new age to smooth jazz, making Wanderlust Masako's declaration of freedom from traditional genres and musical boundaries.”
- Kathy Parsons, MainlyPiano.com
“Music by Masako is always directly from her heart and soul. You can feel that when you hear the very first notes of any of her compositions. She exhibits an incredible sensitivity and grace in every note and every nuance.”
- Dyan Garris, New Age CD
“Music to inspire the soul’ is an off-the-beaten-track concept in music that very few artists dare to attempt with a justifiable degree of perfection. Masako’s musical works have always belonged to a niche that could ably inspire millions to draw their soul’s nourishment from her music. She has a superior understanding of what music is capable of and how to encapsulate the energy of music into her tunes to be conveyed to her audience.”
- VIVEK KUMAR, New Music Alert
All songs composed by Masako
Produced by Will Ackerman, Tom Eaton, Masako
Engineered & mastered by Tom Eaton