Second Album「翼」

2009・11・11リリース（EMIミュージック・ジャパン）Amazonでも発売中！
Released on November 11th 2009 (EMI Music Japan), on sale also on Amazon!

1. Like a Bird
鳥の様に自由に、それが僕の生きる源。しかし成功への道を歩み始めようとした時にそれと供に失う物が多くあります。自由を失い牢獄の中に入ってる様な気分の時期がずっと続いていました。作曲に集中する為にカーテンを閉め切り、今が朝か夜かもわからず一日中部屋に引きこもり、誰も訪れる事の無い牢獄の中でアルバムの曲達を作曲していました。孤独なここから早く抜け出したい、鳥の様に自由に空を、世界を飛び回れる翼が欲しいと思いました。その強い想いからこの曲が作られました。泥沼の中から翼をバタつかせて抜け出そうともがく様、その泥沼から抜け出した先には応援者、協力者、ファンが待っていてくれた事に改めて気付いた感動を表現しました。ありがとう

1. Like a Bird
Free as a bird – that is the key principle of my life. But as I begin taking this road to success, this principle as well as other things seem to get lost along the way. I have been feeling as though I am imprisoned and that all of my freedom has been taken away. In order to concentrate on composing pieces for this album, I closed the curtains and completely segregated myself from other people. I want to escape from this isolation, to be free as a bird, and to have wings that allow me to fly around the world. This piece was developed from those sentiments. I have expressed the agony of a bird flapping its wings to try and escape from the mud, and also the triumph and joy when it finally sets free and realizes the fans, supporters, and loved ones that await him. Thank you.

２. 処女航海
NYに行く時の僕の気持ちを表現している曲です。旅や冒険に出る時に希望で胸躍らせながら旅に出て、夢や目標を達成しよう
と追い続けて行く。その航海の途中には様々な困難が待ち受けていて時には遭難しそうになったり、広い海の真ん中で見上げた夜空の星が人生の道しるべになったり。2006年9月にNYの空港に着いてバスでマンハッタンへ向かう途中にNYの景色を眺め
ながら感じた夢への決意を忘れず今も航海は続いています。

2. Maiden Voyage
This piece illustrates my anticipation of when I first moved to New York. The unnerving yet exciting feelings of hope when going on a journey or adventure, and the motivation and determination to attain the dreams and goals that I set for myself.
But with the voyage comes unfathomable obstacles that make continuing detrimental; yet as I float in the vast ocean and look up at the stars, they bring me unimaginable, life-cherishing moments. In September 2006, as I landed in the airport at New York, on the bus ride into Manhattan, I remember looking at the bustling city and believing in myself and my
dream. My voyage still continues.

3. The Desolate Subway
僕が通っていたNew York Piano Academyがアッパーウエストサイドにあり、いつもそこで夜遅くまでピアノを練習してはB,Cラインの103rd Street stationに乗って家に帰っていました。夜中のSubwayは周りを見渡してもほとんど誰もいなくて薄暗いホームで長い間電車を待っている時間はまるで時が止まったかの様。NYに来たばかりの時は英語も出来ず色々上手くいかない事があったのでなんとか状況を好転させたいと明るい未来を頭の中で淡々と描きながら電車を待っていました。レコーディングの二日前に一日で作り上げた曲で自分の感性の赴くままに作った曲です。

3. The Desolate Subway
I attend the New York Piano Academy on the upper west side. I used to stay there until very late at night practicing the piano,
and would take the B, C line to 103rd Street Station to get home. The subway at that time of night was always very dark with hardly any passengers, and as I stood on the platform waiting for the train to arrive, it always felt like time had stopped. When I first arrive in New York, things weren’t working out for me as planned and since I couldn’t speak English well, I was going through a very challenging time. As I waited for that train, I used to imagine how I was going to change my situation and find a brighter future. I wrote this piece in one day, just a couple of days before I started recording this album and I just let my inner sensibility recall that moment and compose as it wished.

４. ホライゾン
水平線上に広がる朝焼けや夕焼けの綺麗な景色を眺めながらドライブしているイメージの曲です。ハドソンリヴァーの美しい
夕焼けもその中の一つです。

4. Horizon
This piece is my vivid imagination of a scenic drive and the breathtaking landscape of the sunrise and sunset across the
horizon. The beautiful sunset on the Hudson River is one of those breathtaking moments.

５. 雪のリズム
NYで雪がチラチラと降る日にロン先生と二人でカフェで話をしていて僕が「雪って綺麗ですね。」と言った時にロン先生から
「そうだね。僕は雪が降るリズムが好きなんだ。」という言葉を聞きハッとした時がありました。それから自分の家でピアノ
弾きながら窓から見える雪のリズムを感じてこの曲を作りました。

5. Rhythms of the Snow
On a lightly snowing day, I was sitting in a cafe with my teacher, Mr. Ron Yedidia, and I said “the snow is so pretty”. And his reply was “Yes, and I love the rhythm of the snow,” which made me stop and ponder. Since then, as I sit at my piano at home and look out the window, I try to feel the rhythm of the snow.

６. エチュード2番「音の翼」
ピアノ、音楽とは僕にとって翼です。ピアノが無ければただの男ですがピアノがあるからこそ世界中の国、色んな場所、空想
の世界の中を飛び回る事が出来ます。音の翼にのって世界へ向けて旅立つ感じを表現しました。曲の中間のフレーズが左右対
称の翼の様になっています。

6. Etude No.2 “Tsubasa”
To me, piano and music are my wings. Without the piano I would just be an ordinary man, but the piano allows me to go to different countries, different places, and even allows me to fly to fantasy worlds. This piece expresses how I use my wings of music to take flight into different worlds. The phrase towards the middle of the piece is expressing the symmetrical left and right wings.

7. The Rose
みんな、恋人にしか見せない姿がある。そしてお互いがお互いにしか知らない姿を共有し濃い時間を過
ごす。生きている意味を感じられる時間を共有出来る幸せ。人生の中で家族も親友も知り得ない姿を知っている存在。でも、愛には終わりが来てしまう時がある。家族、親友よりも身近にいた人が誰よりも遠い存在になってしまう悲しみ。人生の中で一番の理解者を失う喪失感。たくさんの涙と時間をかけて癒えて行く傷跡。そっと包み込んでくれる音楽。

7. The Rose
There are some things that you only reveal to your significant other. And as you learn more about eachother that is only shared between the two of you, the relationship deepens. Happiness is when two people share a given moment where they can mutually feel the meaning of life. But then, love comes to an end. The person that was closer to you than even family or friends is now so far away. The severe sadness of losing that one person who truly knew and understood me. Time and tears to heal my wounded heart. Music to gently embrace my soul.

８. リスの口づけ
失恋した悲しさで朝になっても眠れず、ピアノと一緒に寝たいと思いピアノの長椅子の上に横になって寝ながら左手だけでピアノを弾いていてこの曲が生まれました。二人で育てた心の中のリス達は儚く消えてしまいました。

8. Lost Love
One early morning, as I couldn’t sleep due to a broken heart, I wanted to be comforted by my piano. So I lied down on the long piano stool and played some notes with my left hand – and this piece was born. The little squirrels that we raised in our hearts, slowly faded away.

9. Supernova
Get SportsのテーマソングAmenoの依頼が来た時に現在使われているのとは別にピアノソロヴァージョンも作っていて、それを僕が少し作りかけていた自分の曲のパートと合体させて出来上がったのがSupernovaです。この曲を作っている時期に丁度WBC日本代表の決勝の試合がありNYのミッドタウンにあるスポーツバーで大勢の日本人と一緒に叫びながら応援していました。その試合は正に歴史に残る名勝負でした。同点の10回に2アウトランナー2,3塁でイチローさんに打席が回って来た時は「この人はこんな場面でここに立つ為に生まれて来たんやな」と思い、打って欲しいではなく打つんだろうと確信していました。その通りに2点タイムリーを放った瞬間は涙と叫びと鳥肌が同時に沸き起こりました。その瞬間、WBC日本代表を応援していた大勢の人達、代表選手達の喜びの爆発はスーパーノヴァ(超新星)の様でした。日本を代表して戦ってきて優勝した彼らは日本の誇りです。この曲をWBC日本代表の皆様に捧げます。

9. Supernova
When I was asked to work on the theme song for the Get Sports television program, I started writing a solo piano piece for it
which I have now combined with my own compositions and it has become Supernova. I was writing this piece right in the midst of the World Baseball Classics. I was at a sports bar in Midtown (New York) with a large crowd of Japanese fans supporting the Japan Team during the Final Championship Game against Korea. It turned out to be one of the most memorable games of all time. It was a tie game, top of the 10th inning, two outs, with runners at 2nd and 3rd base, and the batter was Ichiro. I thought to myself “Ichiro was born to be standing there right now”, and I didn’t have to pray for him to get a hit I was certain that he would make history. So when he got the two-run hit, my reaction was a mixture of tears, goose bumps, and cheering. That explosive moment was like a Supernova. They represented the country of Japan and won, they are our pride. I would like to dedicate this piece to the WBC Japan Team.

１０. 二人の朝陽
日本からNYのアパートに数ヶ月ぶりに帰った時に部屋やピアノが酷く荒らされていて毎日掃除をしては相当落ち込んでいた。
その時に日本にいた僕の大事な人が急遽NYに来てくれて心の支えになってくれた。部屋を元通りにするのも手伝ってくれてそ
れが終わった時はすでに朝になっていてその時に二人で見た朝陽の美しさは一生忘れません。この曲はその人と過ごしたNYで
の7日間の大切な想い出が詰まっています。

10. Daybreak for Us
I walked into my New York apartment after being in Japan for a few months,and was shocked to see that my room had been completely ransacked. I was very depressed as I cleaned the apartment everyday. Then my special friend came from Japan to cheer me up, and help get the apartment back to its original condition. On the final day that we finished cleaning the last section it was getting light outside – and we stared out the window and watched the sun rise. I will never forget those 7 days that we spent together in New York and this piece is filled with those memories.