12 Mar

[ March the 19th, 2021 release via Libra Records: Satoko Fujii – Hazuki ]

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release date: 19.03.2021 via Libra Records

“She could be the most important creative musician of our time.” ― Michael Nastos, AllMusic

“Over the decades, Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii has demonstrated uncanny power and musicality . . . This music is infused with a wide-open spirit.” — Josef Woodard, DownBeat

Pianist-composer Satoko Fujii normally spends months on the road each year, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made touring impossible. On her new solo album, Hazuki, she lets the music travel for her.

06 Nov

[ November the 6th,2020 release via Not Two Records: Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura & Ramon Lopez – Mantle ]

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release date: 6.11.2020 via NOT TWO records

“Over the decades, Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii has demonstrated uncanny power and musicality as a considerable force in the avant-garde end of the jazz spectrum.”— Josef Woodard, DownBeat

“Lopez does a fine job of fusing genres and styles while dispelling those old rumors that drums are not musical instruments.” — Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz

“…Tamura’s trumpet is lyrically beautiful and commanding.” ― Andy Hamilton, Wire

On their debut release, Mantle , pianist Satoko Fujii, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, and drummer Ramon Lopez challenged themselves. Working together for the first time as a trio, they not only developed themselves into a working ensemble, but they wrote music that explored the potential of the group, each piece pushing and inspiring them in a different way. The result is an album of unfailing surprise and invention played by a group that listens closely and responds to one another on a deep intuitive level.

05 Nov

[ November the 6th,2020 release via Not Two Records: Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura – Pentas ]

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release date: 6.11.2020 via NOT TWO records

They “…draw deeply from a seeming perpetual wellspring of inspiration…. The bare bones instrumentation allows full appreciation of their virtues: inventive composerly craft; prodigious improvising prowess; a taut balance between melody and mayhem; and individual excursions which confirm the parameters of the charts as stimulating rather than limiting factors.” – John Sharpe, Point of Departure

“It’s rare to sense this level of intuition between musicians…” —Kurt Gottschalk, New York City Jazz Record

“Fujii and Tamura offer unsentimental beauty, space, silence and humour… Proof that improvised music can be emotionally engaging as well as ear tickling…” ― Peter Marsh, BBC Music Magazine

Pentas marks another milestone in Fujii and Tamura’s remarkable 23-year history as one of the most celebrated duos in contemporary improvised music. The new CD is among their most lyrical and polished, without sacrificing the exploratory invention and spontaneity that marks their best playing.

07 Sep

[ September the 18 th,2020 release via Circum/Libra Records: KAZE & Ikure Mori- Sand Storm ]

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release date: 18th of September, 2020 via Circum / Libra Recs.

“…genius….[Sand Storm] reveals the true spirit of jazz in the way the ideas and themes slowly emerge from that odd sonic landscape.” – Marc Phillips, Part Time Audiophile

“Intense and playful, down-to-earth and international, Kaze communicates in a musical language of contrasts and continuity.” —Virginia Schaefer, JazzTimes

“If you think you can imagine what piano, drums, and two trumpets will sound like, think again.” ― Derk Richardson, KPFA Radio

On Sand Storm , Kaze – the cooperative quartet featuring Japanese composer-pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura along with French trumpeter Christian Pruvost and drummer Peter Orins – welcomes pioneering laptop player Ikue Mori as a special guest. It’s no easy task for a band that’s been together for 10 years to add a player without upsetting a well-developed group balance, but the merger proves to be a natural one.

30 Jun

[ July the 10th, 2020 release via Libra Records – Gato Libre – Koneko ]

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release date: July 10, 2020 via Libra Records

“…a remarkable trumpeter, individual, lyrical and dramatic. Gato Libre seems perfect for this aspect of Tamura’s varied musical personality.” ― Ray Comiskey, The Irish Times

“…composition and improvisation seem to melt into one…interaction, affinity, creativity, and intense listening are what make their music work.” – Amy Duncan, Jazz History Online

07 Feb

[ February the 14th release via Libra Records: The Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York – Entity ]

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release date: 14th February 2020

“This big band packs fierce solo power, but Fujii flexes all that muscle masterfully.” ― Tom Hull, The Village Voice

“Balances rousing swing with probing experimentation, updating the big band tradition with inspired verve and an abiding reverence for venerable customs.” ― Troy Collins, All About Jazz

“Interlocking riffs, driving rhythms and a tight band who do full justice to her imaginative conceptions, showing the benefits of a lineup barely changed since their 1997 debut.” ― John Sharpe, The New York City Jazz Record