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Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York: Shiki
by Hrayr Attarian
Pianist Satoko Fujii's Shiki is an intriguing albeit somewhat flawed album. Its dramatic title track and centerpiece clocks over 35 minutes and is filled with sweeping and thrillingly dissonant harmonies and provocative musical ideas. Opening with mournful, expectant drone it goes through a series of alternating symphonic vamps and stimulating instrumental conversations and monologues. These individual ...
Gato Libre: DuDu
by John Sharpe
The fifth album by Gato Libre, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura's acoustic quartet, is the first since the sudden death of bassist Norikatsu Koreyasu in 2011. Having thought long and hard about whether to continue, Tamura recruited trombonist Yasuko Kaneko as a replacement. While the European folk music inspiration of previous outings like Shiro (Libra Records, 2009) and ...
Jason Kahn & Tim Olive: Two Sunrise
by John Eyles
For those familiar with the two previous releases on Tim Olive's own 845 Audio imprint, the release of Two Sunrise will hold few surprises. As before, its brown chipboard sleeve is adorned with basic graphics and information, giving it a “cottage industry" feel--no bad thing as it follows a noble tradition created by such musician-run labels ...
The Wild, Eclectic World of Koichi Makigami's Hikashu Band
by Eyal Hareuveni
Japanese vocal artist Koichi Makigami's main musical vehicle has been his band Hikashu since the late seventies. This band embodies Makigami's colorful eclectic tastes and myriad vocal personalities. They succeed in tying together eccentric collective improvisations, Japanese theater traditions or elements from Japanese films and pop songs, references to progressive rock and wild, virtuoso vocal acrobatics. ...
Aki Takase La Planète: Flying Soul
by Alberto Bazzurro
La sessantaseienne pianista di Osaka firma con questo Flying Soul uno dei suoi lavori più alti e densi di significato, composizioni tutte sue (tranne “Twelve Tone Tales" del marito Alex von Schlippenbach) interpretate da un quartetto dalle geometrie e dai cromatismi assolutamente particolari. Ovunque affiora il retaggio “anfibio" dei quattro performer, che pur ...
Mieko Miyazaki, Suizan Lagrost: Kyoku
by Alberto Bazzurro
Tutta la seduzione della musica giapponese si direbbe racchiusa in questo bellissimo CD, che raccoglie pagine classiche comprese fra il diciassettesimo e il diciannovesimo secolo e composizioni attuali. Ne sono protagonisti Mieko Miyazaki, specialista del koto (a tredici corde) e in sott'ordine dello shamisen (che di corde ne ha solo tre), nonché cantante, che dal 2005 ...
Akira Sakata & Giovanni Di Domenico: Iruman
by Mark Corroto
Surprisingly, Iruman is saxophonist Akira Sakata's first piano duo recording in his forty-plus year career. The question this disc raises is not why did it take him so long to record in this format, but could another duo performance eclipse this one? Sakata has been flag bearer of the Japanese free jazz movement since ...
8 Mind-Blowing Facts About Music Business in Japan
By Lee Parsons, Founder of Ditto Music. As founder of Ditto Music, an online music distribution service. I was recently asked to undertake a learning expedition to Japan and present my company to the Japanese music market. Here are 8 facts that will blow your mind about the Japanese Music Market: It is ILLEGAL to sell ...
Aki Takase La Planete: Flying Soul
by Glenn Astarita
Japanese pianist, composer Aki Takase collaborates with her peers on what could be considered an all-star international lineup, originating from her partnership with French clarinetist Louis Sclavis. Interspersed with several pieces, spanning one-minute to two- minutes in length, the nouveau chamber, jazz, and improvised segments are brusque, changeable and smoothly cohesive. In addition, many of these ...
Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura: Gen Himmel / Dragon Nat / Tornado
by Hrayr Attarian
Pianist Satoko Fujii and her husband trumpeter Natsuki Tamura are one of the most boldly creative and fearlessly innovative couples in contemporary music. For the past three years they have also been quite prolific, releasing eight albums on their own Libra Records alone. This increase in productivity, however, has not come at the expense of quality ...
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