Yuko Maruyama’s 2002 album, In Tone Nation, is the premiere recording of the SHIGERU KAWAI piano. This album was recorded in Los Angeles and features all original jazz compositions by Yuko Maruyama, the talented composer/performer from Tokyo, Japan.
The SHIGERU KAWAI piano is the embodiment of an extraordinary dream. Over one hundred years ago, in a humble workshop in Japan, Koichi Kawai embarked upon a journey… a spiritual quest to design and build a piano that would one day be called “the finest.” A generation later, this dream burned intensely in the heart of Koichi’s son, Shigeru Kawai. To Shigeru, the dream represented not just his origins, but his destiny… an unrelenting force that would launch a lifetime of devotion in the pursuit of perfection. For over half-a-century, he has stretched the bounds of excellence in the passionate quest to create an ever-higher work of art. In the SHIGERU piano, you will hear not just his labor and his love… but his life.
“I place my name upon this piano with pride and honor… as my personal expression of supreme commitment to the art of the piano.” – Shigeru Kawai, Chairman, Kawai Musical Instrument Mfg.
From initial design to the selection of the finest materials to the handcrafted assembly by master piano artisans, each Shigeru piano is a work of uncompromising craftsmanship, a symbol of unending devotion… a profound expression of pride and honor. For Shigeru Kawai, there could be no other way.
In Tone Nation is an impressive audiophile recording of both Yuko Maruyama’s innovative jazz sound and the exquisite “SHIGERU VII” piano. This recording is available as a stereo audio CD and as a combination DVD Audio disk that features a DVD Audio 5.1 Surround mix and a 96kHZ/24-bit Advanced Resolution Stereo version.