Take Your Pick

Despite the number of Grammys given out each year, it was still a surprise that Takahiro Matsumoto, the guitarist for top Japanese rock group B’z, is in the running for no less than nine this year.

Even more bizarre is the fact that Matsumoto’s nods are all related to his work on one album, Take Your Pick, a collaborative effort with fellow guitarist Larry Carlton.

The album and its related tracks have garnered nominations for record of the year, album of the year, best pop instrumental album, best pop instrumental performance, best rock instrumental performance, best instrumental composition, best instrumental arrangement, best engineered album, and producer of the year non-classical.

Matsumoto and Carlton toured the album in Japan earlier this year.

Every show was sold out thanks to loyal B’z fans.

Though Carlton is mainly known as a fusion guitarist and the tour climaxed at the Tokyo Jazz Festival in September, the concerts were mostly rock affairs.

When the album was released in Japan last June, it entered the Oricon album chart at No. 2, a rare achievement for an all-instrumental record.