Jazz Articles about Satoko Fujii

Satoko Fujii Four: When We Were There

by Jerry D'Souza
December 29, 2006

Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura, Mark Dresser and Jim Black took time off from their touring schedule in the fall of 2005 to record this CD. There were a couple of changes from their earlier efforts: this was the first time they had Tamura in the studio, and the pieces are shorter than what one has come to expect from Fujii. Nevertheless, they continue to be a deft combination with yet another persuasive album.

Fujii does away with her usual persuasion ...

Natsuki Tamura / Elliott Sharp / Hideki Kato / Satoko Fujii: In The Tank

by Ivana Ng
December 16, 2006

Live concerts strive for a transcendent quality that can never be translated into CD form. This is especially true for free improvisation, and In the Tank is archetypical of this fact. Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), Elliott Sharp (soprano sax and guitar), Takayuki Kato (guitar) and Satoko Fujii (piano) recorded this concert in 2001 in Japan. The uncomfortable stillness of the record begs the question: who went to this concert, and was it worth it? In the Tank is ...

Satoko Fujii Four: When We Were There

by Dan McClenaghan
November 23, 2006

Pianist/composer Satko Fujii--one of the more prolific jazz artists around--leads a variety of ensemble configurations from duos to to bands, and everthing in between. One of her longest-standing groups is her trio with drummer Jim Black and bassist Mark Dresser. When We Were There is the eighth CD she has recorded with the Dresser/Black team, and the second one for which she's brought in her husband and oft-times musical collaborator, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, to join them.Earlier this year, ...

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Nagoya: Maru

by Jim Santella
November 22, 2006

Improvising ensembles come in all shapes and sizes. Here's one that begins with the standard big band instrumentation, adds a powerful rock-inspired twist to each selection, folds folkloric themes from around the world into its book, and then launches a hard-swinging free jazz journey.

While the band's fabric follows from what Buddy Rich and Woody Herman were doing with their organizations a generation ago, this one bears the imprint of Satoko Fujii's creativity. Under her leadership, the soloists ...

Satoko Fujii Four: When We Were There

by Troy Collins
November 20, 2006

When We Were There is the first studio album by pianist Satoko Fujii's new quartet. Her long-running trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Jim Black was recently augmented on 2004's Live In Japan (MTCJ) by her husband and frequent collaborator, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. Eschewing the long form, multipart compositions she is known for, she shifts her focus towards shorter, more concise pieces on this session (her eighth with Dresser and Black).

Equally proficient at inside and outside ...

Satoko Fujii: Bell The Cat!, Illusion Suite, Minerva, Zephyros, and Angelona

by Virginia A. Schaefer
November 18, 2006

This article looks at five recent albums by pianist and composer Satoko Fujii. Bell The Cat! and Illusion Suite were recorded by the Satoko Fujii Trio. Minerva, Zephyros and Angelona were recorded by the Satoko Fujii Quartet. Fujii's trio plays avant-garde jazz that uses Eastern European or Balkan scales, and complex meters. Bassist Mark Dresser plays a notable role in shaping and propelling the trio's performance. In the quartet, rock-influenced grooves and assertive sound are shaped and ...

Satoko Fujii: Blueprint, Before The Dawn, Sketches, Live In Japan 2004, Fragment

by Virginia A. Schaefer
November 18, 2006

The prolific pianist, composer and bandleader Satoko Fujii performs and records with a variety of musical configurations. Discs by her two, well established, small groups--the Satoko Fujii Trio and Satoko Fujii Quartet--are reviewed in Part One of this article. Fujii also leads two jazz orchestras, both of which include Natsuki Tamura playing trumpet and contributing compositions. The Satoko Fujii Orchestra, consisting largely of musicians of non-Japanese origin, performs Blueprint, rich in big band-style arranging as well as ...