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Jazz Articles about Satoko Fujii
The Essential Satoko Fujii, Part 3: Trios
by Dan McClenaghan
Satoko Fujii's trio work, in the classic format of piano, bass and drums, or with various other instruments making up the threesome— most notably Natsuki Tamura's trumpet—are as adventurous as anything she does. Spaciousness is more prevalent, though onslaughts of dense clusters still show up. As with every effort she puts out, she is joyously original. This Is It!Mosaic Libra Records2021 Mosaic, a piano, trumpet, drums outing, is playful and fresh, multi-layered and ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii, Tatsuya Yoshida: Baikamo
by Neri Pollastri
La collaborazione tra Satoko Fujii e il batterista Tatsuya Yoshida è antica e i due non hanno mai interrotto i concerti assieme sotto l'insegna di Toh-Kichi, sebbene dal loro precedente album--Erans, datato 2004--le occasioni si fossero fatte meno frequenti. Questo nuovo lavoro, frutto di più registrazioni in parte dal vivo e in parte in studio, dimostra tuttavia che la loro intesa non si è indebolita. L'album si articola in ben sedici brani, metà interamente improvvisati--le tracce dispari--e metà ...
Continue ReadingThe Essential Satoko Fujii, Part 2: Duos
by Dan McClenaghan
Satoko Fujii releases a lot of albums. Most of them are regular CDs, but she has also moved into the Bandcamp offerings, online only. The Essential Satoko Fujii, Part 1 featured four different sides of her artistry: Solo, duo, trio, quartet and orchestra. Part 2 will showcase some of her outstanding duo discs. Satoko Fujii / Ramon Lopez Confluence Libra Records2019 Satoko Fujii and drummer Ramon Lopez had never recorded together before their ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura: Pentas: Tribute to Eric and Chris Stern
by Neri Pollastri
Coppia nella vita e nell'attività artistica, Satoko Fujii e Natsuki Tamura presentano con questo Pentas il loro settimo disco (il primo, How Many, risale al 1997). Registrato a Cracovia, esce per la polacca Not Two, che della Fujii ha pubblicato numerosi lavori. La dedica del sottotitolo è a una coppia di appassionati conosciuti a Cracovia, al concerto che seguì la registrazione, il marito della quale, malato, morì proprio la notte successiva. L'album si articola su otto brani, quasi ...
Continue ReadingThe Essential Satoko Fujii, Part One: Solo, Duo, Trio, Quartet and Orchestra
by Dan McClenaghan
Satoko Fujii's recorded output comes at you hard and fast. It can overwhelm. In 2018—in celebration of her sixtieth birthday—the pianist/composer/bandleader released an album a month. Not download offerings, but real, handsomely produced CDs, with top of-the-line cover art and sturdy cardboard covers—jewels for the eye, ear and hand. Several other years have seen a release schedule neary as aggressive as 2018's. And she's been at it for the entire twenty-first century, after her start a decade earlier, with, most ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii & Joe Fonda: Thread Of Light
by Mark Corroto
Damn the liner notes! If you didn't read the explanation of how this duo recording was produced, you would never guess it was not a studio session between pianist Satoko Fujii and bassist Joe Fonda. Thread Of Light was actually a product of the pandemic isolation, with Fujii in Kobe, Japan, and Fonda in New York. At the suggestion of Fonda, the pianist recorded her parts at home and sent music files to the bassist to study and, in time, ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii & Joe Fonda: Thread Of Light
by Karl Ackermann
When pianist Satoko Fujii and bassist Joe Fonda first recorded together in 2016 on Duet, it was a shot in the dark. Neither was familiar with the other's music. Nevertheless, that album generated outstanding synergy between these two master improvisers. So much so, that in a few short years they have recorded five albums together, occasionally in the company of other artists including Natsuki Tamura. The duo returns with Thread of Light an inventive and unusually produced album.
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