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Satoko Fujii ma-do: Time Stands Still
by John Sharpe
When asked why she has lead or co-lead so many different projects (23 at last count), pianist Satoko Fujii replied “It's like food. I don't like just Japanese food, but also Italian food, French food and so on, and I would soon get tired if I just ate Japanese food." If her ma-do quartet were to have a culinary equivalent it would certainly be tasty: something spicy with rich complex flavors. It's almost as if Fujii has so many ideas ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii Ma-Do: Time Stands Still
by Dan McClenaghan
In terms of CD releases, pianist Satoko Fujii passed the bandleader baton to her husband, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, in 2012, resulting in two exceptional albums on the Libra Records label: the trumpet/piano duo outing, Muku, and Forever, from Tamura's European folk music-flavored Gato Libre group. For the always prolific Fujii, a year without a release under her leadership is an oddity. The year 2013 is lining up differently, however, with the debut of the Satoko Fujii New Trio's Spring Storm ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii New Trio: Spring Storm
by Dan McClenaghan
Some of jazz's finest, most innovative and adventurous music can be found in the piano trio format. The list of artists pushing the boundaries is a long one: Vijay Iyer; Hal Galper; Craig Taborn; Brad Mehldau and a good dozen more, conservatively. A name rarely mentioned in that group--in part, because she leads so many groups with different configurations (23, at last count), yet hasn't offered up a piano trio set since 2008--is Japanese-born pianist/bandleader Satoko Fujii.In addition ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii Min-Yoh Ensemble: Watershed
by AAJ Italy Staff
C'è da domandarsi se nella carriera della pianista giapponese questo disco rappresenti una tappa mirata ma isolata, oppure un'evoluzione consapevole e duratura, in grado di proiettarsi nel futuro. Infatti la musica scaturisce da un approfondimento del Min-Yoh, cioè della musica folklorica giapponese “che, suonata da dilettanti ed arrangiata collettivamente dagli esecutori, presenta una bellezza derivata dalla semplicità". In Watershed la Fujii dà la sua personale interpretazione del Min-Yoh, intrecciando ovviamente questa recente influenza con le matrici che hanno segnato la ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii Min-Yoh Ensemble: Watershed
by Dave Wayne
Min-Yoh is the newest star in pianist Satoko Fujii's growing constellation of amazing improvising groups. While the presence of her partner in music and life, virtuoso trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, is a given, Fujii's musical interactions with a seemingly endless array of top-drawer improvisers from all over the world are almost as intimate. The pair gives the sense that there are never any sidemen in their groups, only equal partners. Watershed is dedicated to the exploration of Japanese folk music in ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii's Triple Whammy
by Hrayr Attarian
The year 2011 is proving to be a fruitful one for Japanese composer and improviser Satoko Fujii. In addition to a world tour, she has released three albums (all on June 21) on her own Libra record label, each in a different setting and in the company of different musicians. Her only constant companion, through all three discs, is her husband and musical partner, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. Satoko Fujii Min-Yoh EnsembleWatershedLibra Records2011 ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii: Rafale
by Dan McClenaghan
It's no easy task keeping track of the bands under the baton of pianist Satoko Fujii. The prolific avant-garde artist from Japan leads numerous ensembles, including four distinct big bands and multiple quartets and trios, in addition to co-leading duo outings with her husband, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, very notably on the marvelous Chun (Libra, 2008). She seems to put together at least one new ensemble per year, and in 2011 it's Kaze, a quartet featuring her musical soul mate Tamura, ...
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