Jazz Articles

Satoko Fujii Trio: Junction

by Jim Santella
November 1, 2001

What a trip!

From her title track, on down the line, Satoko Fujii's Junction characterizes jazz's modern mainstream as swinging, soulful, and teeming with creative ideas. The music needs outlets like this one in order to grow. Fujii's trio improvises freely, but remains accessible. European classical studies, American jazz traditions, and worldwide folk patterns merge easily as one genre. Dramatic tension is balanced by casual release. The three talented artists produce a session that is certainly worth repeated listening sessions. ...

Satoko Fujii: Junction/Vulcan

by Mark Corroto
October 1, 2001

Satoko Fujii just continues to excel in each situation she enters. The young pianist, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music, has recorded everything from solo sessions to large orchestras. Her album, Double Take (Ewe Music 2000), was a masterpiece of large avant-garde ensembles, recording the same music with two orchestras, one Japanese and one American. She has done duets with Paul Bley, her husband trumpeter Natsuki Tamura and, Mark Feldman April ...

Satoko Fujii: April Shower

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 2001

Satoko Fujii's daring electicism has marked every encounter since her debut recording with Paul Bley in 1996. She has demonstrated a fearless openness to stylistic freedom that makes everything she's done in the last five years difficult to categorize. Quite simply, the pianist does not fit into any neat little boxes. On April Shower, she joins promiscuous in-and-out violinist Mark Feldman for a workout of free and lyrical tunes that flow together to form a patchwork quilt of improvisation. Feldman ...

Satoko Fujii Orchestra: Double Take

by Jim Santella
September 1, 2000

Improvised music. And if it swings, then it’s jazz. Satoko Fujii, one of the world’s most interesting big band leaders since Don Ellis, compares the East and the West on this 2-CD set. One disc features her Japanese ensemble, while the other features New York improvisers. Soulful baritone saxophone and electric bass, raging trumpets, wailing trombones, expressive piano and other big band stimulants portray her music with accessible charm. Trumpeters Yoshihito Fukumoto and Natsuki Tamura recall the magic of Lester ...

Satoko Fujii Orchestra: Double Take

by Mark Corroto
June 1, 2000

Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii has grabbed plenty of attention in the cutting edge jazz community. After briefly studying classical music, she came to America and breezed through the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. Her mentors have included Paul Bley and George Russell, and along with her Japanese heritage and classical background produced a talented pianist. That fact is evidenced on her solo outing Indication (Libra Records 1996), whereas her fondness for Downtown jazz and the new avant-garde ...