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Satoko Fujii
Critics and fans alike hail pianist and composer SATOKO FUJII as one of the most original voices in jazz today. A truly global artist, she splits her time between Berlin and Japan and tours internationally leading several ensembles. Just as her career spans international borders, her music spans many genres, blending jazz, contemporary classical music, rock, and traditional Japanese music into an innovative synthesis instantly recognizable as hers alone. Her wide-ranging compositions can incorporate the simple melodies of folk song, the harmonic sophistication of jazz, the rhythmic power of rock, and the extended forms of symphonic composers. Although Fujii’s compositions are full of sudden shifts in direction and mood, the extremes are always part of a greater conceptual whole. The 2015 el Intrus International Critics Poll recognized her as one of the composers of the year. As an improviser, Fujii is equally wide-ranging and virtuosic. In her solos, explosive free jazz energy mingles with delicate melodicism and a broad palette of timbre and textures. Born on October 9, 1958 in Tokyo, Japan, Fujii began playing piano at four and received classical training until twenty, when she turned to jazz. From 1985–87, she studied at Boston's Berklee College of Music, where her teachers included Herb Pomeroy and Bill Pierce. She returned to Japan for six years before returning to the US to study at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where her teachers included George Russell, Cecil McBee, and Paul Bley, who appeared on her debut CD Something About Water (Libra, 1996). Since then Fujii has been an innovative bandleader and soloist, a tireless seeker of new sounds, and a prolific recording artist in ensembles ranging from duos to big bands. She has showcased her astonishing range and ability approximately 80 CDs as leader or co-leader. With each new recording or new band, she explores new aspects of her art.
Between 1997 and 2008, her New York trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Jim Black released seven critically acclaimed CDs. Cadence magazine described the group as “Beautiful and exciting by turns, and sometimes both at once.” Jason Bivins in Signal to Noise, praised the “dynamite unit” for its “improv delirium, hot grooves, and melodic dances." In 2004 trumpeter/husband Natsuki Tamura joined this trio to form the Satoki Fujii Four, which released the critically acclaimed Live in Japan 2004 and 2006's When We Were There.
At the same time, she and Tamura began documenting their intimate duo music. By now, the pair has made five CDs for various labels in Europe and Japan. In his four-star Down Beat review of Chun (2008), Ted Panken wrote,“Fujii's orchestral technique, clear chromatic lines and “prepared piano” devices contrast effectively with Tamura's arsenal of extended techniques which he executes with a warm, vocalized tone throughout the trumpet's full range.”
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Joe Fonda: Eyes On The Horizon
by Mark Corroto
When a musician who is a legend himself, herein bassist Joe Fonda, creates an album of tribute music to his mentor and teacher, it is rare that that person also performs on the recording. Fonda wrote the seven compositions heard here, with five dedicated to the master musician Wadada Leo Smith. On Eyes on The Horizon, Fonda is joined by pianist Satoko Fujii, drummer Tiziano Tononi and Smith himself. During his career, Fonda has been heard with such ...
Continue ReadingKira Kira: Kira Kira Live
by Glenn Astarita
Kira Kira, a Japanese avant-garde ensemble has been at the forefront of improvisational music since 2017. Their name, translating to glittering" or shining" in Japanese, fittingly reflects the radiant quality of their sonic explorations. The ensemble includes an all-star lineup: trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, pianist Satoko Fujii, keyboardist Alister Spence and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. Together, they blend semi-structured jazz with shades of other genres, creating a sound that is as frenzied and bustling as it is introspective and exhilarating. The album ...
Continue ReadingNatsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii: Aloft
by John Sharpe
By the time of its ninth release a band might be struggling to produce something new. Not so the Japanese wife-and-husband duo of pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. They reap the benefits of a long association while sidestepping potential downsides to keep things fresh and unpredictable. While previous albums have often featured the compositions of one or both, on Aloft they dispense with charts altogether and trust in their instincts. That trust is amply repaid. It ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii Quartet: Dog Days Of Summer
by Dan McClenaghan
Satoko Fujii Quartet's Dog Days Of Summer has been a long time coming. It is the re-emergence of one of her most exciting bands, the Satoko Fujii Quartet. They had a great run from 2002's Vulcan (Libra Records) until 2008's Baccus (Muzak Records). Then the group went into a dormancy. In the meantime, Fujii has released over a hundred albums--including twelve in 2018 alone--in every imaginable format, from solo piano to big bands and almost everything in between.
Continue ReadingNatsuki Tamura, Satoko Fujii: Aloft
by Alberto Bazzurro
Sei improvvisazioni svarianti fra i cinque e i dieci minuti compongono questo nuovo capitolo della saga discografica (molto nutrita, ormai da diversi anni in qua) dei coniugi giapponesi, sempre pronti a misurarsi con nuove sfide, ma nel contempo molto attenti a preservare dati punti fermi. Qual è, ovviamente, il loro sodalizio, sia in duo, come qui, che in organici più ampi. La contrapposizione più avvertibile, in questo nuovo lavoro, è fra il suono limpido--diremmo canonico, se il ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii: Composing Beyond the Jazz Spirit
by Lawrence Peryer
Today, the Spotlight shines On pianist and composer Satoko Fujii, an incredibly unique and prolific artist.Satoko works at the intersection of jazz, contemporary classical, rock, and traditional Japanese music, composing for ensembles of many sizes and configurations. However, she is especially adept with the jazz orchestra format. For all of her efforts, Satoko is widely decorated as an improviser, composer, arranger, and band leader.Satoko has released over 100 albums as leader or co-leader, at a clip ...
Continue ReadingNatsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii: Aloft
by Doug Collette
Pianist/composer Satoko Fujii has released over one hundred albums since 1996 and, in line with that prolific output, Aloft is the third record she has appeared on just in 2024; see also the Kaze ensemble's Unwritten (Libra Records, 2024) and the Tokyo Trio's Jet Black (Libra Records, 2024). While it is fair to say she does not make a habit of repeating herself, she is nevertheless aware of what settings offer self-renewing sources of inspiration to her seemingly ...
Continue ReadingSatoko Fujii + French-Japanese Quartet Kaze Tour Australia: January 13-19, 2016 and Japan: January 23-30
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Pianist Fujii Performs Solo and Duo Concert with Alister Spence January 13 in Glebe Two-trumpet ensemble Kaze unleashes storm of inventive sound with performances in Australia and Japan including jny: Sydney, jny: Melbourne, Kobe and jny: Tokyo “One of the most musically dynamic and intense jazz" sets of the year… If you think you can imagine what piano, drums, and two trumpets will sound like, think again.” —Derk Richardson, KPFA “One of the best gigs I’ve seen this year….” –-Steve ...
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Enter the "Satoko Fujii - Gen Himmel" Giveaway at All About Jazz!
Source:
All About Jazz
All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Libra Records Satoko Fujii - Gen Himmel giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on October 7th. Click here to enter the contest
(Becoming a fan of Satoko Fujii at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)
Good luck! Your Friends at Libra Records About Satoko Fujii
Critics and fans alike hail pianist and composer Satoko Fujii as one of the most ...
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Satoko Fujii - Eto, Watershed and Rafale (2011)
Source:
Something Else!
Our favorite avant gardist from Japan Satoko Fujii is at it again, releasing at once a new batch of records of distinct character. Each are performed by bands she formed whose members render her boundless musical vision within their own voices, ranging from the fifteen member Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York to two quartets with odd make-ups (Min-Yoh and Kaze). She and her husband Natsuki Tamura have together released twenty-seven records since 1997 under their own imprint, and numerous more ...
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The Wide, Wild, Wonderful World of Satoko Fujii: Her Last 5 Releases (2009, 2010)
Source:
Something Else!
By Pico Since starting up this site about four years ago, we've taken a look at a Japanese whack jazzer only once, but the fact of the matter is, the Land of the Rising Sun is a haven for music that's unconventional, unpredictable and thriving on the edge. For this post, we'll make up for lost time, and we only have to fix our gaze at just one artist: Satoko Fujii.Satoko Fujii is a relative newcomer ...
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Big Band Power and Small Group Intimacy Featured on Two New Releases from Pianist Satoko Fujii
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
"Whether performing with her orchestra, combo, or playing solo piano, Satoko Fujii points the listener towards the future of music itself rather than simply providing entertainment."-- Junichi Konuma, Asahi Graph.The versatility of pianist-composer Satoko Fujii is on display once more with two very different releases. Desert Ship (March 23, Nottwo Records) features the small-scale intimacy of her Japanese acoustic quartet, ma-do. Zakopane (March 23, Libra) is the fourth album by the powerhouse Satoko Fujii Orchestra ...
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Pianist Satoko Fujii Interviewed at AAJ
Source:
All About Jazz
For pianist Satoko Fujii, 50 is the new 20.
That refers to her age, although you could almost believe it refers to the number of albums she's released in 2008 alone. Fujii appears on four records this year: a trio session called Trace A River (Libra, 2008); a quartet session with her band ma-do called Heat Wave (Not Two, 2008); a session with a completely different trio called Cloudy Then Sunny (Libra, 2008); and an album with the band Gato ...
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The Jazz Session #47: Satoko Fujii
Source:
All About Jazz
Jason Crane interviews pianist and composer Satoko Fujii. Fujii has released four new recordings in 2008, her 50th birthday year. These records find her with her New York trio; on accordion in the avant-folk-jazz group of her husband, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura; in a quartet with some of Japan’s most talented improvising musicians; and in a second trio with both American and Japanese musicians. Far from slowing down in her middle years, Fujii seems to be pushing herself even more relentlessly, ...
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Satoko Fujii: Jazz, with a Little Japanese Rock for Good Measure
Source:
All About Jazz
MONTREAL -- Consider Satoko Fujii something of a late bloomer. Even though she started playing piano at the age of 4, she didn't realize that improvisation was her calling until she was 20, and she didn't start recording as a jazz musician until 1996, when she was in her late 30s. Since then, however, the 49-year-old pianist and composer has made up for lost time. She has more than 50 titles in her discography, offering everything from solo sessions and ...
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“Fujii is clearly one of the most exciting musicians to come along in a while.” —Robert Iannapollo, Cadence
“100 Years…100 Alumni” —Profiling New England Conservatory’s Most Successful Alumni
Satoko Fujii Orchestra: Talent Deserving Wider Recognition —DownBeat Critics Poll
Rising Star: Arranger —DownBeat Critics Poll
“Satoko Fujii is one of the more arresting new voices in jazz, an intriguing pianist and composer who in the few brief years of her career has been creating personal intersections between the music of her native Japan and the traditions of free jazz. In the process, she's developing genuinely exciting and original music.” —Stuart Broomer, Coda
Photos
Music
Inspiration Opus #1
From: Eyes On The HorizonBy Satoko Fujii
Not Together
From: Dog Days Of SummerBy Satoko Fujii
Migration
From: AloftBy Satoko Fujii
Along the Way
From: Jet BlackBy Satoko Fujii
Wa
From: HibikiBy Satoko Fujii
Torrent
From: TorrentBy Satoko Fujii
Perpetual Motion III
From: Perpetual MotionBy Satoko Fujii
One Hundred Dreams Part 1
From: Hyaku: One Hundred DreamsBy Satoko Fujii
Underground
From: UndergroundBy Satoko Fujii
Habana's Dream
From: MosaicBy Satoko Fujii
Molecular
From: BeyondBy Satoko Fujii
Prickly Pear Cactus
From: Prickly Pear CactusBy Satoko Fujii
Kaineko
From: KonekoBy Satoko Fujii
Entity
From: EntityBy Satoko Fujii
Rolling Down
From: BaikamoBy Satoko Fujii
Painted By Moonlight
From: FourBy Satoko Fujii
Asatsuyu
From: ConfluenceBy Satoko Fujii
Imagine Meeting You Here 1
From: Imagine Meeting You HereBy Satoko Fujii
Neppa
From: Kikoeru - Tribute to Masaya...By Satoko Fujii
021305
From: Diary 2005-2015: Yuko Yamaoka...By Satoko Fujii
Yellow Sky
From: Live at Big Apple in KobeBy Satoko Fujii
Long Journey
From: MizuBy Satoko Fujii
1538
From: 1538By Satoko Fujii
Available Gravity
From: TriadBy Satoko Fujii
Ninety-Nine Years
From: Ninety-Nine YearsBy Satoko Fujii
Hypnotique Sympathie
From: Atody ManBy Satoko Fujii
Inori
From: 'Solo'By Satoko Fujii
1
From: FukushimaBy Satoko Fujii
Liberation
From: AspirationBy Satoko Fujii
Kunpuu
From: KisaragiBy Satoko Fujii
Thought
From: Invisible HandBy Satoko Fujii
Ichigo Ichie 2
From: Ichigo IchieBy Satoko Fujii
Potential Energy
From: Yamiyo Ni KarasuBy Satoko Fujii
Running Around
From: UminariBy Satoko Fujii
Gen Himmel
From: ShikiBy Satoko Fujii