Jazz Articles about Natsuki Tamura

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Gato Libre: Shiro

by Dan McClenaghan
March 21, 2010

Japanese trumpeter Natsuki Tamura's name is most often mentioned in the press for his work with his wife, Satoko Fujii. The Japanese pianist casts a blinding light with her prolific output, and a fearless and unfettered musical vision. Tamura sits in as either a sideman or collaborator on many, if not most, of her CDs.If Fujii is superhuman in her output as a leader, Tarmura is closer to mortal, though no less adventurous. He has produced sets as ...

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Junk Box: Cloudy Then Sunny

by AAJ Italy Staff
September 7, 2009

L'ampiezza e la profondità della ricerca di Satoko Fujii lascia sempre ammirati, al punto che ogni suo disco esige una speciale considerazione. Autrice dei brani e ideatrice del progetto, la pianista giapponese è principale artefice di questo trio, giunto al secondo lavoro dopo il debutto nel 2006 con Fragment. Come spiega nelle note del disco, in quel lavoro Satoko ha iniziato a lavorare su un personale metodo di scrittura che include, accanto alle note, grafici e parole, e che lei ...

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Gato Libre: Kuro

by AAJ Italy Staff
October 27, 2008

Dopo la pubblicazione in anni recenti di Strange Village e Nomad il quartetto Gato Libre conferma i tratti squisitamente folk di un'estetica apparentemente distante dalla cultura e dalla storia musicale dei suoi componenti. Il quartetto è infatti composto dai giapponesi Natsuki Tamura alla tromba, Satoko Fujii alla fisarmonica, Kazuhiko Tsumura alla chitarra acustica e Norikatsu Koreyasu al contrabbasso. I primi due non hanno certo bisogno di presentazioni, essendo tra i massimi esponenti dell'avanguardia musicale contemporanea, ai confini tra libera improvvisazione, ...

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Gato Libre: Kuro

by Michael P. Gladstone
October 18, 2008

This album is a bit unusual for trumpeter Natsuki Tamura and his group Gato Libre. While many of his other recordings are in a free jazz mode--notably as an accompanist for his wife, pianist Satoko Fujii--Kuro seems largely intent in showing a varying picture of Tamura's musical scope.

Fujii forgoes her usual piano for accordion on Kuro.On the opening “Sunny Spot," she provides a tandem accompaniment with guitarist Kazuhiko Tsumura that enhances this otherwise attractive melody. There is also a ...

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Gato Libre: Kuro

by Jerry D'Souza
August 25, 2008

Gato Libre is back, carrying on the musical tradition that marked its last recording, Nomad(No Man's Land, 2007). Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), Satoko Fujii (accordion), Kazuhiko Tsumura (guitar) and Norikatsu Koreyasu (bass) play with an agile sense for melody and detail that suits the compositions to a nicety. Tamura uses Gato Libre to get away from the improvisatory music that marks his other projects, where the written word is more often than not a speck on the horizon, rather than the ...

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Gato Libre: Kuro

by Budd Kopman
July 4, 2008

The enchanting Kuro is the third release from trumpeter Natsuki Tamura's group, Gato Libre, following Strange Village (Muzak, 2005) and Nomad (No Man's Land, 2007). Tamura shares the same fearless creative attitude that his wife and musical partner pianist Satoko Fujii (here playing accordion) has. His eclectic interests can be heard most recently on Cloudy Then Sunny (Libra, 2008), the second release from Fujii's Junk Box group, where his acoustic trumpet becomes a virtual sound machine.

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Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii: Tobifudo

by Budd Kopman
April 10, 2008

"Tobifudo" means “Flying God" or “Flying Deity" in Japanese and the Shoboin Temple in Japan is dedicated to the Flying God. It is also the name of a group in which pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura were members, and finally, the name of the first album in their large discography. As such, Tobifudo is the introduction to the phenomenon that is Fujii/Tamura (or Tamura/Fujii), and, while there is much worthy music within, it also gives ...