{"id":20155,"date":"2021-08-13T14:20:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T21:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=20155"},"modified":"2021-08-13T14:20:34","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T21:20:34","slug":"video-premiere-web-exclusive-interview-senri-oe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2021\/08\/video-premiere-web-exclusive-interview-senri-oe\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Premiere &#038; Web-Exclusive Interview SENRI OE"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><b>Video Premiere &amp; Web-Exclusive Interview<\/b><\/h3>\n<h1>Artist:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span><b>SENRI OE<\/b><\/h1>\n<h1>Video:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>\u201c<b>Out of Chaos<\/b>\u201d<\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KTK9_nOltJA\" width=\"660\" height=\"340\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><b>JAZZ PIANIST SENRI OE RELEASES <i>LETTER TO N.Y.<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Composed and produced entirely in quarantine in his New York City apartment\u2014the new album expresses Senri Oe\u2019s love for NYC during a time of worldwide reflection. This powerful recording captures the eclectic array of the city\u2019s musical energies.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Oe\u2019s <i>Letter to N.Y.<\/i> (2021) is clearly a love letter to New York City. He has found positive inspiration in the midst of the chaos of quarantine. His journey to this time and place in his music\u2014and to this particular album\u2014is truly remarkable.<\/p>\n<p>As a pop superstar in Japan in the 80s and 90s, who grew up listening to the sounds of Billy Joel and Carpenters, Oe did a complete turnabout on his career after a backing band member, and friend of his, suddenly passed away.\u00a0At that point, he decided that life was too short and wanted to focus on what was important in his life\u2014his first love\u2014jazz.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20164\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"527\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-01.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-01-300x240.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b><i>The pulse of rhythms coursing through this album is an outpouring of the love, compassion and togetherness that is an integral part of Senri Oe\u2019s view of life. Fittingly released on PND\/Sony Masterworks two days before the start of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, if music was an event at these Games\u2014Senri Oe would have received a medal for his album <\/i>Letter to N.Y.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Oe left Japan and his legion of pop fans to grab a piece of the American Dream. He headed to New York City to study at the School of Jazz at The New School. Since 2008, he has released seven jazz albums: <i>Hmmm<\/i> (2020, a jazz trio album), <i>Boys &amp; Girls<\/i> (2018), <i>Answer July<\/i> (2016), <i>Collective Scribble<\/i> (2015), <i>Spooky Hotel<\/i> (2013) and <i>Boys Mature Slow<\/i> (2012).<\/p>\n<p>The pulse of rhythms coursing through this album is an outpouring of the love, compassion and togetherness that is an integral part of Senri Oe\u2019s view of life. Fittingly released on PND\/Sony Masterworks two days before the start of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, if music was an event at these Games\u2014Senri Oe would have received a medal for his album <i>Letter to N.Y.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Oe says \u201cI wrap the album with the simple concepts of \u2018Love\u2019 and \u2018Togetherness\u2019 to reflect an important reality that we\u2019ve all learned during this challenging time\u2014the fact that when we\u2019re left alone to face life\u2019s greatest challenges, we realize the most important things are not money and fame but the people we love and want to be with most.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We talked with Senri Oe about his fascinating musical journey, his approach to creating jazz in solitude during this unique time, how music can bring people together, how he remains eternally hopeful and how his positive outlook on life inspires others to follow their own path to find peace.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20163\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-02.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"992\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-02.jpeg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-02-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-02-300x451.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>SENRI OE<\/b><b> <\/b>Interview<\/h2>\n<h2>with\u00a0<b><i>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/i>\u00a0<\/b>magazine publisher,<b> Merlin David<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>How did the idea for the song \u201cOut of Chaos\u201d come to you?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>It was the first song I wrote when I decided to make this home-recorded jazz.\u00a0The imagery in my mind was the electric Miles Davis in the 70s.\u00a0I connected my Casio mini keyboard to a PC without deciding the score and chord progression. On my moving day, January 15, a gas leak accident caused the heating and gas to stop in the cold winter in New York City\u2014for two weeks. So I put on a down jacket and hugged my dog to keep warm.\u00a0By that time, I was used to the pandemic. But listening to the horns of cars and people screaming outside the new environment through the window\u2014made it crazy.\u00a0When I sent this song to my co-producers in Tokyo and New York,\u00a0they said it was \u201cvery good.\u201d So I left this song as it was and continued to\u00a0make the second song \u201dGood Morning\u201d and then \u201cJuke Box Love Song.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>How did you come up with the creative video concept of \u201cOut of Chaos\u201d?<\/b><br \/>\nI chose Japanese American film director Jun Shimizu, who made three videos from my previous album, <i>Hmmm<\/i>. \u201cOut of Chaos\u201d was written during the pandemic, so I thought this concept would be good to allow listeners to understand it immediately. I started to shoot it at home in New York City, and sent videos to Jun in Los Angeles, California. Several \u201cSenris\u201d appear in one scene, so I was careful not to cover the other ones.\u00a0Jun told me to set the screen of the iPhone, turn it on, never touch it, leave it recording\u2014and shoot for about 40 minutes. It was hard because I was busy changing clothes, wiping my sweat, synchronizing music and doing everything\u2014alone. If I had one more thing to do, I would have failed. (<i>Laughs<\/i>)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20162\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-04.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-04-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-04-300x400.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>How did this seventh studio 11-track jazz album\u00a0<i>Letter to N.Y.<\/i>\u00a0evolve?<\/b><br \/>\nJazz is improvised by meeting people\u2014by communing with others. It\u2019s a reaction and there is no blueprint. But this time, I had to play all\u00a0of the\u00a0instruments with my own fingers\u2014there was no one else. I became Miles Davis and Jaco Pastorius\u2014all wrapped up in one. I played alone in a fantasy world\u2014going back and forth between the 70s, 80s and 90s.\u00a0I wrote things down as I went along. The method was a discovery because I\u00a0could record as much as I wanted for 24 hours\/seven days a week\u2014in a relaxed setting. There is something unique about my Casio that allows me the freedom to be more creative.<\/p>\n<p><b>This is clearly your love letter to New York City. What is it about NYC that keeps you creative\u2014that energizes you and your music?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The people.\u00a0People who walk on the street, people who just pass each other, people who whistle, people who shout\u2014people always give me energy.\u00a0You can always hear a variety of music and languages, so your mind will always be sensitive to the sounds.\u00a0I learned from the pandemic how to transform the inconvenience of having to stay at home\u2014into creativity.\u00a0I realized that there are many benefits to doing it alone\u2014if I only devise the ingredients that\u00a0I have at home to make delicious and healthy dishes.\u00a0In the same way, I can create music with only what I have on my PC. I played all the digital sounds. No guests. It was a unique and deliciously wonderful experience\u2014a tasty treat.<\/p>\n<p><b>What instruments do you rely on?<\/b><br \/>\nMy Casio and my Steinway\u2014it\u2019s a complete, whole sound. Also, my Wurlitzer and Logic Pro X.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20161\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"991\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-05.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-05-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-05-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Which song are you especially glad squeaked by and made it onto this collection?<\/b><br \/>\nEvery song has its own favorite points. It\u2019s all jazz, but various genres of music are also mixed in. \u201cThe Street to the Establishment\u201d basically starts with a shuffle rhythm. However, like the streets are different, you can hear Latin rhythms, mixed with other music to reach the final big circle.\u00a0I love this tune.<\/p>\n<p><b>Are there other similar examples?<\/b><br \/>\n\u201cLove\u201d uses Cuban rhythms. My long electric piano solo is not a fast-playing solo, but it has a taste and I love this so much.\u00a0And \u201cStaying at Ed\u2019s Place\u201d has\u00a0the concept of jazz Beatles. I imagine jazz humming in the world. Everyone around the world can hum. I would like to hear everyone hum along.<\/p>\n<p><b>What did you learn about yourself after recording\u00a0<i>Letter to N.Y.<\/i>?<\/b><br \/>\nI learned the concept of preparing a musical score, and that jazz must be like this. The other kinds of concepts don\u2019t make much sense. My mind is free, and\u00a0I don\u2019t see things through prejudice. I feel\u00a0that one day is a condensation of my life, and I feel like I can now live life to the fullest.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20160\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-06.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-06-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-06-300x400.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>The title track \u201cLetter to N.Y.\u201d is a very strong, infectious track.<\/b><br \/>\nIt starts with a wacky rhythm and tone, but I resist Charlie Parker, and put his typical musical phrase\u00a0at the beginning of a melody.\u00a0I imagine a person who affirms anxiety and fear, accepts good and bad things, and starts to live with a smile. It\u2019s a strong song!<\/p>\n<p><b>How did your life as a pop singer-songwriter inform your approach to music?<\/b><br \/>\nBoth are music for me. So basically, I have just evolved as a simple organic musician, who\u00a0came to create these new jazz compositions.\u00a0However, for my fifth jazz album,\u00a0<i>Boys &amp; Girls<\/i>, I got the chance to interpret my pop 80s and 90s songs into Senri Jazz Standards. (<i>Laughs<\/i>) That experience was so huge for me\u2014and that\u2019s why my previous album (<i>Hmmm<\/i>) was good timing to make a trio album\u2014and make something new to bridge those two worlds.<\/p>\n<p><b>Do you remember the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio?<\/b><br \/>\nWhen I was 15,\u00a0I heard my original tune on the radio in Osaka, Japan, my hometown.\u00a0I was an amateur singer-songwriter who was trying to be a professional musician, so it was very exciting to hear my music on the radio.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20159\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-07.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-07.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-07-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-07-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Which Top 5 Musicians\u00a0inspired you to become a musician?<\/b><br \/>\nYuming (J pop singer-songwriter, Yumi Matsutoya), Carpenters, Terumasa Hino (Japanese jazz trumpeter), Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Osamu Kawakami (my Japanese jazz teacher), Junior Mance (my jazz teacher in The New School for Jazz) and my first piano teacher Yumi Nara (she is now an opera singer in Paris).<\/p>\n<p><b>What are your Top 5 favorite albums of all time?<\/b><br \/>\n<i>Sunday at the Village Vanguard<\/i> (1961)\u2014Bill Evans Trio<br \/>\n<i>Solo Monk<\/i> (1965)\u2014Thelonious Monk<br \/>\n<i>Stone Flower<\/i> (1970)\u2014Ant\u00f4nio Carlos Jobim<br \/>\n<i>Dr. Buzzard\u2019s Original Savannah Band<\/i> (1976)\u2014Dr. Buzzard\u2019s Original Savannah Band<br \/>\n<i>Aja<\/i> (1977)\u2014Steely Dan<\/p>\n<p><b>What is the best advice someone has given you?<\/b><br \/>\nBe a listener. It was advice given to me by my producer at Epic Sony Japan, who I worked with in the 80s.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20158\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-08.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"992\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-08.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-08-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-08-300x451.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>What is your advice for upcoming musicians?<\/b><br \/>\nBe observers.\u00a0It is not about making whatever you like to create. The most important thing is to make whatever people love. Musicians can use their music and talent to bring people together.<\/p>\n<p><b>Tell us a \u201cpinch me\u201d moment when you thought \u201c<i>Wow, this is really happening to me!<\/i>\u201d<\/b><br \/>\nWhen I saw Cedar Walton\u2019s piano concert at Dizzy\u2019s Club in NYC and Tony Bennett was sitting right in front of me. It was a great moment in time.<\/p>\n<p><b>What have you learned about yourself during this pandemic time?<\/b><br \/>\nThis time is a gift given to us\u2014to improve our sense of consideration for others. We need to take care of our imagination. A lack of imagination sometimes leads to discrimination and hate crimes. All of that arises from ignorance and prejudice. America allows me to live with dreams and hopes. I create music as an opportunity for people to be kind and peaceful. If you take the time, you will notice magical moments within any given day. NYC is a powerful magnet. If you have dreams and hope and try to make the world better, you should be in NY because there is a lot of chemistry here in NYC.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20157\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-09.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-09.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Senri-Oe-09-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>In this unique socio-political time, how do you remain hopeful?<\/b><br \/>\nWhen I see people being careful, staying home and wearing a mask when they go outside\u2014I am hopeful. When I see the positive effects of Black Lives Matter, I am hopeful. When I see people come together to denounce Asian Hate Crimes, I am hopeful. We all have different backgrounds, but when we stop and look\u2014we see more similarities and have more things in common that we share. It really is a beautiful thing\u2014a beautiful world we live in.<\/p>\n<p><b>You once said, \u201cAfter this pandemic, the former world is over.\u201d As a musician, how do you carve a new path?<\/b><br \/>\nThe old values have disappeared.\u00a0The world where money and fame rule\u2014doesn\u2019t work in this new post-pandemic world. For a long time, the idea that those with capitalism and money were strongly dominating the world; but more and more, types of living in individual ways will be established, and it will be simple and original. The method of pushing with force is obsolete, and more love and compassion will wrap around the world.\u00a0This is my hope.<\/p>\n<p><b>Where can new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/b><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.PeaceNeverDie.com\">www.PeaceNeverDie.com<\/a><br \/>\nTwitter:\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/1000hometown\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/1000hometown<\/a><br \/>\nFacebook:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SenriOe\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SenriOe<\/a><br \/>\nInstagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/senrioe\/\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/senrioe\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20156\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/unnamed-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/unnamed-3.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/unnamed-3-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Video Premiere &amp; Web-Exclusive Interview Artist:\u00a0 SENRI OE Video:\u00a0 \u201cOut of Chaos\u201d \ufeff JAZZ PIANIST SENRI OE RELEASES LETTER TO N.Y. Composed and produced entirely in quarantine in his New York City apartment\u2014the new album expresses Senri Oe\u2019s love for NYC during a time of worldwide reflection. This powerful recording captures the eclectic array of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20166,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[12826,12827,8345,12828,8416,12829,5407,9885,12127,12830,2601,10174,12831,9625,12832,12833,12834,12835,12836,12837,12838,994,12839,12840,12841,12842,12843,9584,7566,12844,3010,2121,7978,4947,8398,12845,12846,12847,12848,12849,12850,12851,12852,12853,12854,999,10048,10211,12855,12856,3818,12857,12858,12859,3674,12860,10222,12861,12862,12863,12864],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20155"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20155"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20167,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20155\/revisions\/20167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}