Jazz Articles about Satoko Fujii

Satoko Fujii Quartet: Bacchus

by Troy Collins
November 10, 2007

With a discography of forty plus albums featuring ensembles ranging from intimate duos to big bands, pianist Satoko Fujii is one of Japan's most prolific and versatile jazz artists. The fifth record by her long- standing quartet, Bacchus is preceded by the similarly titled Vulcan (Libra, 2001), Minerva (Libra, 2002), Zephyros (Natsat, 2003) and Angelona (Libra, 2005).

Regular members, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, electric bassist Takeharu Hayakawa and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida once again accompany Fujii, blending straightforward popular music ...

Satoko Fujii Quartet: Bacchus

by Dan McClenaghan
November 4, 2007

You'll often hear jazz artists say that they don't like to call their music “jazz." The word, after all, is a label, and labels confine--if you take them seriously/and or let them. Pianist Satoko Fujii may or may not label her music (it's doubtful), but there are certainly no constraints on the sounds she makes.Fujii records, prolifically, with any number of ensemble configurations: from her extremely freewheeling and often cacophonous big bands to duo projects, the European-flavored Gato ...

Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura Duo

by Jim Santella
September 27, 2007

Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura Café Metropol Los Angeles, California September 8, 2007

Using every inch of her piano's keyboard and every nuance of his trumpet's capabilities, Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura appeared at Café Metropol in Los Angeles to begin an extended tour in the name of avant- garde jazz. As prolific composers and performers, the duo carries a wide range of ideas with them wherever they go. Reflecting the history of LA's ...

Satoko Fujii: Defying Expectations

by Kurt Gottschalk
July 20, 2007

Satoko Fujii is a rare breed. The pianist and composer manages to continually defy expectations while remaining solid and eminently musical in her work. She puts out new recordings at an almost ridiculous rate, rarely repeating a composition, but doesn't simply toss any live session to whatever label will take it. Each new disc (she's released more than thirty under her name since her first release in 1995, including eight in 2006 and eleven in 2004) seems to advance her ...

Satoko Fujii - Natsuki Tamura: In Krakow In November

by AAJ Italy Staff
July 9, 2007

Assieme nella vita e in varie formazioni musicali, la pianista Satoko Fujii e il trombettista Natsuki Tamura hanno registrato già un paio di dischi in duo: nel 1996 hanno pubblicato per la Leo Records How Many (Leo Lab CD 029) e nel 2001 autoprodotto Clouds, per l'etichetta Libra. Quest'album - registrato come indica il titolo a Cracovia, l'8 novembre 2005, negli studi di Radio Krakow - si snoda su coordinate espressive piuttosto diverse rispetto ai lavori precedenti. Ciò che s'evidenzia ...

Satoko Fujii Min-Yoh Ensemble: Fuijin Raijin

by Troy Collins
June 14, 2007

Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii's artistic restlessness is given full flower on Fujin Raijin, her first album of Min'yo compositions. Classically trained, Fujii is one of today's most eclectic jazz figures, leading ensembles that range from intimate chamber duos to full-sized big bands. Long fascinated by the emotional directness of Min'yo (traditional Japanese folk music), Fujii finally takes the plunge with a mix of traditional and original pieces.

Fujii is joined by her usual foil, husband and trumpeter Natsuki ...

Satoko Fujii Min-Yoh Ensemble: Fujin Raijin

by Dan McClenaghan
May 26, 2007

Pianist Satoko Fujii has put together another ensemble. There's nothing new in that; it seems she and/or her husband, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, form a new group or two every year, just to keep things fresh. With the Satoko Fujii Min-Yoh Ensemble, the mercurial Japanese-born pianist/composer takes off on yet another tangent--an exploration of Japanese folk music.It's a departure of sorts. The Gato Libre group--in which Fujii plays accordion--has put out two CDs influenced by European folks sounds: Strange ...