Jazz Articles about Natsuki Tamura

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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 ...

Satoko Fujii: Fujin Raijin

by AAJ Italy Staff
October 29, 2007

La pianista e compositrice Satoko Fujii ha più volte trovato ispirazione nel folklore del suo Paese ma la scelta non è mai stata così profonda e coerente come in questo disco, registrato il 25 maggio 2006 a New York. Al suo nuovo quartetto ha dato il nome di Min-Yoh Ensemble, riferendosi a quella forma di musica tradizionale giapponese nata come canto di lavoro contadino ed evolutasi nella prima parte del Novecento in forma anche strumentale. La sua identità artistica è ...

Natsuki Tamura: In Krakow in November, Nomad & Crossword Puzzle

by Kurt Gottschalk
September 8, 2007

Satoko Fujii/Natsuki Tamura In Krakow in November Not Two 2007 Gato Libre Nomad No Man's Land 2007 Double Duo Crossword Puzzle Libra 2007

Incessant touring schedules and a recorded output that rivals label contracts of the '60s can make the almost incessantly productive ...