Biography

Championed in his homeland as the most renowned guitarist in all of Asia, Tak Matsumoto is primarily revered as chief songwriter, GRAMMY WINNING guitarist and producer of the Japanese rock band, B'z. Counting a legacy of 18 albums, “B'z” truly means big business! With combined sales totaling over 80 million units in Japan alone, Tak’s artistic vision has easily made them Japan's best-selling band in history. As a soloist, 2002 served as a landmark year for Tak with the Japanese release of his much heralded instrumental albums, “Hana” and "Dragon from the West". Hana garnered rave reviews for its powerfully flowing melodies evocative of scenic horizons of the Orient. The album's bonus track, "Trinity," finds Tak stretching the boundaries of "rock" guitar, blending different tastes in the melodies while retaining the same distinctive Japanese spirit.

In 1999 he became the first, and to date, the only guitarist from Asia to be given his own Signature Model Les Paul by Gibson and added to Gibson’s signature artist club.

"Strings Of My Soul" marks the second time Tak has released a solo project outside of Asia first being “Hana” in 2003. Audiences everywhere will fall in love with these beautiful melodies inspired by Tak’s Eastern influences. This eclectic album mixes Jazz, Blues, Rock, and features a cover of "SUKIYAKI" with the special guest appearance of 4-time Grammy Winning guitarist Larry Carlton.

“To begin with, the idea of making this album was to make an album with all of my favorite songs I’ve encountered during my solo career. Not just a best-of album, but I wanted to try playing them again with my current style. More like "A new album of myself". -Tak Matsumoto

Tak first teamed up with 335 Records in 2010 when he released “Take Your Pick”, a collaboration with Larry Carlton. This release would prove to be a knock-out and went on to win the Grammy for “Best Pop Instrumental Album” at the 53rd annual Grammy awards earning Tak not only his first nomination, but first win.