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Satoko Fujii: Crustal Movement
by Jeff Schwartz
In the first few minutes of “Masoandro Mitsoka," a soft wash of white noise becomes differentiated into piano, percussion, electronics and two trumpets as the acoustic instruments move from breath and friction sounds to identifiably instrumental ones. Next the ensemble reduces to the trumpets, and they move from parallel play to a clear conversation. When piano, percussion and electronics return, they function as a free jazz rhythm section, backing one trumpet, then both, then the other. Instrumental ...
Continue ReadingKaze & Ikue Mori: Crustal Movement
by Karl Ackermann
Crustal Movement is the seventh album from the Peter Orins/Satoko Fujii founded quartet-turned-quintet, Kaze. Now billed as Kaze & Ikue Mori, it represents the second consecutive album from the French- Japanese collective where the electronics artist has played a significant role. The two trumpeters, and original group members, Natsuki Tamura, and Christian Pruvost round out the group. Over the course of more than ten years, Kaze, and their one-time extended sextet, Trouble Kaze, have played at the outer ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii: Hyaku: One Hundred Dreams
by Dan McClenaghan
Country music artist Merle Haggard (1937 -2016) released 66 studio albums in his day, along with five instrumental recordings and several live and compilation discs. When asked in a late-career interview if his upcoming album was a good one, he answered (paraphrasing). “I don't know. I've made so many I don't know if the next one's any good or not." He was probably pulling the interviewer's leg. It is hard to imagine an artist presenting a new work ...
Continue ReadingNatsuki Tamura and Gato Libre: Sleeping Cat
by Karl Ackermann
Following the example of his partner and spouse, Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura has embarked on a year-long project of multiple, timed releases. Like his companion, Tamura has found that his trumpet is at home in numerous musical settings. One of his most popular ventures is the group Gato Libre which features Fujii on accordion rather than her customary piano; trombonist Yasuko Kaneko, a group member since 2014's DuDu (Libra), rounds out the trio. Since the inception of the group, Gato ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura: Pentas: Tribute to Eric and Chris Stern
by Neri Pollastri
Coppia nella vita e nell'attività artistica, Satoko Fujii e Natsuki Tamura presentano con questo Pentas il loro settimo disco (il primo, How Many, risale al 1997). Registrato a Cracovia, esce per la polacca Not Two, che della Fujii ha pubblicato numerosi lavori. La dedica del sottotitolo è a una coppia di appassionati conosciuti a Cracovia, al concerto che seguì la registrazione, il marito della quale, malato, morì proprio la notte successiva. L'album si articola su otto brani, quasi ...
Continue ReadingNatuski Tamura: Summer Tree
by Karl Ackermann
Natsuki Tamura explodes the conventions of the trumpet. The ironically titled Summer Tree is his fifth solo album though his partner, and here, producer, Satoko Fujii, lends a vocal contribution on one of four extended compositions. Tamura's previous pandemic project, Koki Solo (Libra Records, 2021) was lockdown escapism with an ear toward humor and an eye toward the more resonant utensils in his kitchen. Summer Tree is dark and complex but Tamura's most accessible solo album. Two fully improvised pieces ...
Continue ReadingNatsuki Tamura: Summer Tree
by Dan McClenaghan
In 2002, the Natsuki Tamura Quartet released an album called Hada Hada (Libra Records). It sounded as if it was plugged into ten thousand volts, even Tamura's trumpet, and especially Satoko Fujii's synthesizer, in the making of a soundtrack to a “Cyborgs March on the Capitol" movie. And those cyborgs were mad. Odd stuff. In 2022, Tamura goes it solo on Summer Tree, crafting another soundtrack, Covid style, in isolation, in a small recording studio in his apartment in Kobe, ...
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