Jazz Articles about Satoko Fujii

About Satoko Fujii

Album Review

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin: Ichigo Ichie

Read "Ichigo Ichie" reviewed by Budd Kopman

by Budd Kopman
August 13, 2015

The huge dual drum opening of part 1 of the title piece is a clear signal that with Ichigo Ichie, pianist/composer/conductor Satoko Fujii is not going to hold back when introducing her latest orchestral group of Berlin (which she now calls home). Orchestra Berlin is Fujii's fifth such group (after creating and recording with orchestras in New York, Tokyo, Nagoya and Kobe) and it has a unique personality all its own. Four of the five tracks consist of ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin: Ichigo Ichie

Read "Ichigo Ichie" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
August 2, 2015

If there is any doubt that a Satoko Fujii orchestra is an ensemble of a different color, one simply needs to look at the bleeding-edge personnel that have played a part in her New York, Chicago and several Japan based versions. Now a Berlin variety of her troupe presents Ichigo Ichie, the pianist's first European player dominated big band. Like all of Fujii's compositional collections, she creates and arranges to the strengths of the assorted band members and the results ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii Tobira: Yamiyo Ni Karasu

Read "Yamiyo Ni Karasu" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
July 27, 2015

If ever there were a restless musical spirit, it would be pianist, composer (and occasional accordionist) Satoko Fujii. The Japanese artist has issued more than sixty recordings in settings from solo to full orchestra and most everything in between. While she demonstrates virtuosic straight-ahead balladry on occasion, her preference has long leaned toward unorthodox improvisation. Fujii has recorded with Tin Hat's violinist Carla Kihlstedt, pianist Myra Melford and fronted a trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Jim Black. Much ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii Tobira: Yamiyo Ni Karasu

Read "Yamiyo Ni Karasu" reviewed by Budd Kopman

by Budd Kopman
July 22, 2015

If it were possible to give ten stars to Yamiyo Ni Karasu, it would deserve every single one for its power, inventiveness and the sheer ecstasy of creation in the moment. Pianist, composer, improviser and overall whirlwind Satoko Fujii returns to once again to lead a quartet, Tobira, which was built from New Trio (which included bassist Todd Nicholson and drummer/percussionist Takashi Itani) by adding trumpeter (and husband) Natsuki Tamura. Her previous quartet, Ma-Do (see Heat Wave, Desert ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii Tobira: Yamiyo Ni Karasu

Read "Yamiyo Ni Karasu" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
June 17, 2015

Pianist Satoko Fujii, based now in Berlin, makes uniquely tumultuous music, intersecting a rolling and tumbling near chaos with moments of pastoral beauty and fierce, pounding grooves. Ever restless, she forms new groups filled with fearless musicians with always interesting results. She debuted her Satoko Fujii New Trio in 2013 with Spring Storm, (Libra Records), and now adds to that stew the provocative spice of trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, to make Satoko Fujii Tobira. Yamiyo Ni Karasu is the very successful ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin: Ichigo Ichie

Read "Ichigo Ichie" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
June 16, 2015

I'm going to propose a computer “app" called Big Band World Domination. With this software players would be able to go forward and backward in time to have big bands compete against each other. Spin back to the territory bands of the 1920s, 30s, all the way to the 1960s, and then up to today. We could face off Walter Page's Blue Devils against Jimmie Lunceford's Orchestra, or match Count Basie's band against the Lincoln City Jazz Orchestra. With certainty, ...

Live Review

Il gioco delle coppie! Drake-Mirra & Fujii-Tamura a Ostinati 2015 - Padova

by AAJ Staff
February 26, 2015

Cinema Torresino Padova 09.02.2015. Il poker, si sa, è una “scienza" esatta. Due coppie accostate fanno una doppia coppia e potrebbero diventare un poker d'assi solo se di ugual natura. Per fortuna la musica risponde a leggi differenti e può capitare che due coppie distinte formino non solo una doppia coppia, ma anche un bel poker d'assi, così come ci suggerisce l'ottimo avvio di stagione della rassegna Ostinati, organizzata come di ...