Few – if any – other guitarists claim a movie character as their first musical inspiration, as is the case for Kay-Ta Matsuno.
“My Dad was an avid listener of classical music,” the Osaka-born jazzer recalled. “He took me to an orchestra concert when I was young, and I took classical piano lessons since I was five years old. There was no guitar or guitar-oriented music around when I was growing up, until I saw Back to the Future on VHS. Other guitar players would name Hendrix, Clapton, or Van Halen as their first inspiration, I had to name Marty McFly or Michael J. Fox as my first lightning-shock experience (laughs)!”
Kay-Ta moved to the U.S. in 1996 to study jazz at Berklee College of Music.
“I was doing session work in Japan, but not for major-label artists,” he recalled. “I thought studying jazz would be the best way to deeply understand music.”
The relocation paid dividends as he was offered numerous recording and backing gigs, and he has since nurtured a career on his own terms.
His third album, Distance, was recorded at his home studio in Van Nuys, and he played every instrument except drums on one track; acoustics included a Martin HD-28, Taylor 314, Cordoba 55FCE, and a Manuel Rodriguez. The electrics heard are a Saito S-622, a ’68 Telecaster, and a five-string Squire Jazz Bass.
He recorded the new album in a style that differed from his two previous solo works.
“I guess the biggest difference is the concept, which was to use acoustic guitar as a core of the music” he said. “I chose more electronic drum sounds and synth-bass to make the guitar stand out.”
While Distance is an instrumental album, his mission was to “comment” on recent sociopolitical issues without adding lyrics to his songs.
“Words are powerless and flimsy sometimes, and when you open your mouth, there is always a chance to hurt somebody’s feelings,” he opined. “I would rather vent out my view through my music, without words.”
The first single, “Distance,” takes its title from the pandemic, when seven of the album’s 10 tracks were written and recorded.
“‘Distance’ means something completely different since the pandemic. No matter how much you wanted to get close to someone, you had to maintain six feet of distance from each other. You can see them but you can’t touch them. This song describes that kind of sentiment.”
“Smog Free,” another pandemic-inspired composition, might strike listeners as a soundtrack for a movie or television show.
“Once, I was working as an assistant writer for a film composer, and it was a tough job. There was no way that I could maintain my chops live and pursue a composer’s way of life at the same time. I am not there yet, but I want to become a musician whom some director would find interesting, and who would want to work with me. I have a huge respect for film composers.”
Kay-Ta interpolated some intriguing sonic trickery. For example, what sounds like a buzzing funk bass on the introduction to “Push It Back” is actually his HD-28 doubled with a synth bass.
Asked about personal favorite passages on Distance, he cites the main arpeggio phrase in “Smog Free.”
“That is deceptively challenging, but it serves as an atmospheric effect rather than a noodle shred, and I enjoy playing it live in concert. If I had to name another passage, I would say my electric-guitar solo on ‘Kraken.’ That one was one take, with no punch-ins. I did have several attempts, but that particular solo was played from the beginning to the end, with no stop. I think it’s one of the best solos I have ever played in terms of tone, phrasing, flow, and ideas.”
The guitarist has also started what he calls “an alternative chamber music group” called the Kay-Ta Crypto String Society.
“It’s a gateway to my ultimate goal, which is a 50-piece hybrid orchestra. In order to get there, I need to be out there and be known. And I know it won’t come overnight, but I am very persistent.”
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
