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Satoko Fujii Orchestra Nagoya: Sanrei
by Eyal Hareuveni
There is no doubt that out of the four big bands that Japanese composer and pianist Satoko Fujii leads, Orchestra Nagoya is the wildest one. It is also the fastest and the loudest one. It may feel like being hit by a huge adrenalin shot while listening to Sanrei, the orchestra's third release; but rest assured this powerful demonstration does not lack detailed and precise arrangements.
The orchestra was masterminded by Fujii, who opts only for the conductor role with ...
Continue ReadingNatsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii: Chun
by Troy Collins
Chun is one of seven new albums released in 2008 by tireless Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii in celebration of her fiftieth birthday. Issued concurrently with Sanrei (BKM), by her Orchestra Nagoya, and Summer Suite (Libra), by her Orchestra New York, Chun is the fourth duet session Fujii has recorded with her husband, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura.
Fujii and Tamura have honed their empathetic rapport in a variety of settings over the past decade, from the massed ensembles of the ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii Orchestra Nagoya: Sanrei
by Mark Corroto
Satoko Fujii's Sanrei might smell like teen spirit, but it isn't a rock power trio disc; it's an orchestra sent here from nirvana by way of Nagoya, Japan. Pianist Fujii eschews the keyboards for a conductor's baton, leaving the chords to guitarist Yasuhiro Usui to shred with abandon.
Probably best known for her virtuosic piano, Fujii plays in trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Jim Black, duo with husband and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, or in ... Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii Orchestra Nagoya: Sanrei
by Dan McClenaghan
Satoko Fujii has a rock and roll soul and heart, judging from the opening cut on Sanrei, by her Orchestra Nagoya. The tune thumps and slashes to life on a bass/drums/guitar intro that sounds like Deep Purple searching for the groove on “Kentucky Woman," an early burst (1968) in the heavy metal mode.
The Japanese-born Fujii, a beyond category artist, is usually considered an avant-garde jazzer. But her sonic artistry is informed by just about any type of ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii Orchestra New York: Summer Suite
by Troy Collins
In addition to numerous small combos, industrious Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii leads four different Orchestras (Kobe, Nagoya, New York, and Tokyo). In honor of her fiftieth birthday, Fujii has released a total of seven albums in 2008. The latest installment includes Chun (Libra), an intimate duet with her husband, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, and two big band records, Sanrei (Bakamo), by her Orchestra Nagoya, and Summer Suite, the seventh recording by her Orchestra New York, a veritable super group of Downtown ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii: Trace a River
by AAJ Italy Staff
Di progetto in progetto, di pubblicazione in pubblicazione, la statura artistica di Satoko Fujii negli ultimi anni è cresciuta a dismisura. E nel meraviglioso universo di situazioni che la vedono coinvolta, dal duo col marito trombettista Natsuki Tamura alle scritture per big band, dal quartetto Gato Libre al sodalizio con la violinista Carla Kihlstedt, il piano trio con Mark Dresser e Jim Black occupa senza dubbio una posizione centrale. Una centralità ribadita anche dall’ultima fatica in studio della band, Trace ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii Orchestra New York: Summer Suite
by Budd Kopman
Continuing the stream of recordings in her 50th birthday year, pianist Satoko Fujii presents Summer Suite from the New York big band, as well as Sanrei (BKM, 2008) from the Nagoya band. These two are in a series of thirteen big band releases dating back to Jo (Buzz, 1999)--besides the forty-odd other recordings she has lead or played on. You do the math. Fujii is a complete modernist, bound by no rules, eclectic in predilections and influences, ...
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