Encounters - Masayuki Hiizumi, PE'Z, H ZETTRIO

"Masayuki Hiizumi" is such a strange name. I wonder why it's in katakana. And why wasn't it all in katakana? The 'ki' is the 'ki' for machine... It's a name with so many points to comment on that it leaves a huge impact.

I first learned the name Masayuki Hiizumi at recitals and competitions for the music school where I was learning to play the Electone. I quite liked the songs that had this name written in the composer field because they were fun. It was a strange name, and since I saw it often, I remembered the name perfectly even though I didn't know what kind of person he was. The melodies were song-like, so I wondered if it was J-pop?

This is a memory from when I was in elementary school.

When I was in high school and looking for songs to play on the Electone, I happened to come across a song titled "Neo Japanesque." I didn't know what kind of song it was, but it sounded cool. I decided to listen to it on YouTube for the time being.

It was a stylish song. But as the title suggests, I also felt a Japanese vibe. (I don't know why, though.) I thought, Japanese-style jazz is cool. But honestly, I wasn't that hooked yet.
However, the next day, I wanted to listen to it again, so I opened YouTube.
And the day after that, I couldn't help but want to listen to it, so I opened YouTube.

For me, Neo Japanesque was a song that didn't hit me hard at first, but one that I gradually grew to love more and more.

Because of that, I completely fell in love with this song and decided to play it on the Electone. (And I would go on to play this song at many important moments in my life.)

And I also became increasingly hooked on the music of H ZETTRIO, the artist who performed Neo Japanesque. If you watch YouTube, related videos appear one after another. That's how I found myself a fan of H ZETTRIO before I knew it.

When I was a freshman in high school, I went to an H ZETTRIO concert for the first time. At the time, it hadn't been long since I'd learned about them, so most of the setlist consisted of songs I didn't know. Even so, it was surprisingly fun. Although they are an instrumental band, there are songs with choreography. Children dance and enjoy themselves, and among the adults, some wave their hands happily, while others enjoy it slowly. I really liked the atmosphere where anyone could enjoy it.

By the time I was a sophomore in high school, I had started listening to various instrumental bands, one after another, starting from H ZETTRIO. Day by day, my related videos and recommended videos were being invaded by instrumental music.

Among them, there was a band that somehow caught my heart. That was PE'Z. Their songs were right up my alley. And for some reason, I also felt a sense of nostalgia.

One day, I came across an H ZETTRIO song called "Seiten - Hale Sola -." And then, the PE'Z song "Hale no sola sita ~LA YELLOW SAMBA~" appeared in the related videos.

The names were similar, and when I listened to them, the theme was the same. Moreover, the description box for Seiten - Hale Sola - said this.

My heart was so restless that I immediately searched for "H ZETTRIO PE'Z."

The answer I got was that "PE'Z is the predecessor band to H ZETTRIO." In other words, the piano, wood bass, and drums of PE'Z were the members of H ZETTRIO. (Although they gently deny that fact.)
And not only that, but "the pianist for PE'Z was Masayuki Hiizumi." In other words, the pianist I admire so much now, H ZETT M, is Masayuki Hiizumi, whose name I had known since I was in elementary school.
The reason I felt nostalgia for PE'Z was because I had heard them in my childhood.

Honestly, I got goosebumps.

One of the reasons I like PE'Z and H ZETTRIO is that "I like the melody lines of their songs." Even though their music is instrumental, it feels as if there are vocals.

Come to think of it, back when I only knew Hiizumi's name and didn't know who he was, I heard his songs played on the Electone and thought, from the melody lines, that it was J-pop.
Again, I got goosebumps.

This was my encounter with Masayuki Hiizumi, PE'Z, and H ZETTRIO.
I felt sad that I hadn't known about PE'Z before they disbanded, but in fact, I had met them a long time ago.

Surely, it has been about 15 years since I first heard Masayuki Hiizumi's music.
The current me, who admires the pianist H ZETT M, must have lived until today without forgetting the memories and excitement of the past, keeping them carefully tucked away deep in my heart.

A song I love by PE'Z. Please give it a listen.

Sometimes M-san even plays PE'Z songs. It's so heart-stirring.