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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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Album Review

Kaze: Unwritten

Read "Unwritten" reviewed by Doug Collette


Improvised music is an acquired taste, to be sure. But for those who dote on the spontaneous, the liberating sensation that arises from interplay in the moment is nothing less than addictive. In that regard, then, Kaze's fittingly titled Unwritten, a wholly spontaneous piece of work, holds a bounty of fascination. Presenting a formidable challenge to listeners at the very outset of the record, this foursome proffers an initial track, “Thirteen Years," that is just shy of thirty-seven ...

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Album Review

Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio: Jet Black

Read "Jet Black" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Satoko Fuji, a visionary pianist and composer hailing from Japan, has carved a distinct niche for herself in the world of modern jazz. Her unique style and innovative approach to music have garnered acclaim from critics and audiences alike. On her second outing with the Tokyo Trio, comprising herself on piano, Takashi Suguwa on bass, and Ittetsu Takemura on drums, Jet Black shines as a mesmeric and thought-provoking endeavor that explores the depths of human emotion and musical expression.

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Album Review

Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio: Jet Black

Read "Jet Black" reviewed by Doug Collette


Of all the varied settings in which Satoko Fujii places herself, the piano trio may be the most satisfying, if only because of the distinct way she and her respective bandmates stretch the boundaries of this ever-so-venerable instrumental concept. Hardly an exception to the rule of wholly arresting collaborative musicianship, Jet Black is the third outing of a lineup Fujii has dubbed the Tokyo Trio. Also including bassist Takashi Sugawa and drummer Ittetsu Takemura, this unit redefines one ...

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Album Review

Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio: Jet Black

Read "Jet Black" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


The January 2024 release of Jet Black starts the year out right. It is the Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio's sophomore recording, presenting the Japanese pianist in one of her most compelling modes of expression: the piano trio. This is not foreign territory for her. She headed up a superb threesome with drummer Jim Black and bassist Mark Dresser from 1997 until 2009, crafting gems like Illusion Suite (Libra Records, 2004) and Trace A River (Libra Records, 2008). As in any ...

7
Album Review

Satoko Fujii: Hibiki

Read "Hibiki" reviewed by Doug Collette


Expanding upon the Futari duo concept of pianist/composer Satoko Fujii and vibraphonist Taiko Saito, as depicted on Underground (Libra Records, 2021) and Beyond (Libra Records, 2021), Trio SAN incorporates drummer/composer Yuko Oshima, the album of whose, Hibiki, is a proportionately intense companion piece to the aforementioned pair of releases. As if simultaneously beckoning the audience at Kesselhaus, Berlin in June of 2022 as well as invoking their muse as a new collaboration, Trio San begins Hibiki with its ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii: Hyaku: One Hundred Dreams

Read "Hyaku: One Hundred Dreams" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro


Inciso al DiMenna Center di New York nel settembre 2022, questo album è forse il migliore, il più importante e ambizioso, realizzato dalla pianista giapponese in tempi recenti (e sappiamo quanto corposa sia la sua produzione da un po' di anni in qua). Basta, da subito, scorrere i nomi coinvolti nel progetto (in special modo il “grande vecchio" Wadada Leo Smith) per rendersene conto. La musica, poi, ci toglie da ogni dubbio o imbarazzo: siamo di fronte a un lavoro ...

7
Album Review

Trio San: Hibiki

Read "Hibiki" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Put a vibraphone into a small ensemble, listen in and the label “exotica" might come up--that exotic music pioneered by Martin Denny and Juan Garcia Esquivel. The pairing of pianist Satoko Fujii and vibraphonist Taiko Saito--a duo they call Futari--on their two terrific albums, Beyond (2021) and Underground (2022), both on Libra Records, sounded like exotica from the Twilight Zone. There is something about the glowing murk of vibes combined with the out-of-this-world sounds of Fujii's prepared piano ruminations that ...

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Performance / Tour

Satoko Fujii + French-Japanese Quartet Kaze Tour Australia: January 13-19, 2016 and Japan: January 23-30

Satoko 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 ...

Contest

Enter the "Satoko Fujii - Gen Himmel" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

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 ...

159

Recording

Satoko Fujii - Eto, Watershed and Rafale (2011)

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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433

Recording

The Wide, Wild, Wonderful World of Satoko Fujii: Her Last 5 Releases (2009, 2010)

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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Recording

Big Band Power and Small Group Intimacy Featured on Two New Releases from Pianist Satoko Fujii

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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Interview

Satoko Fujii Interview

Satoko Fujii Interview

Source: All About Jazz


180

Interview

Pianist Satoko Fujii Interviewed at AAJ

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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Radio

The Jazz Session #47: Satoko Fujii

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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Performance / Tour

Satoko Fujii: Jazz, with a Little Japanese Rock for Good Measure

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 ...

"Unpredictable, wildly creative, and uncompromising…Fujii is an absolutely essential listen for anyone interested in the future of jazz." —Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

“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

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Hibiki

Jazzdor Series
2024

buy

Jet Black

Libra Records
2024

buy

Unwritten

Libra Records
2024

buy

Perpetual Motion

Ayler Records
2023

buy

Crustal Movement

Circum-Disc
2023

buy

Torrent

Libra Records
2023

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Along the Way

From: Jet Black
By Satoko Fujii

Wa

From: Hibiki
By Satoko Fujii

Torrent

From: Torrent
By Satoko Fujii

Perpetual Motion III

From: Perpetual Motion
By Satoko Fujii

One Hundred Dreams Part 1

From: Hyaku: One Hundred Dreams
By Satoko Fujii

Underground

From: Underground
By Satoko Fujii

Habana's Dream

From: Mosaic
By Satoko Fujii

Molecular

From: Beyond
By Satoko Fujii

Prickly Pear Cactus

From: Prickly Pear Cactus
By Satoko Fujii

Kaineko

From: Koneko
By Satoko Fujii

Entity

From: Entity
By Satoko Fujii

Rolling Down

From: Baikamo
By Satoko Fujii

Painted By Moonlight

From: Four
By Satoko Fujii

Asatsuyu

From: Confluence
By Satoko Fujii

Imagine Meeting You Here 1

From: Imagine Meeting You Here
By 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 Kobe
By Satoko Fujii

Long Journey

From: Mizu
By Satoko Fujii

1538

From: 1538
By Satoko Fujii

Available Gravity

From: Triad
By Satoko Fujii

Ninety-Nine Years

From: Ninety-Nine Years
By Satoko Fujii

Hypnotique Sympathie

From: Atody Man
By Satoko Fujii

Inori

From: 'Solo'
By Satoko Fujii

1

From: Fukushima
By Satoko Fujii

Liberation

From: Aspiration
By Satoko Fujii

Kunpuu

From: Kisaragi
By Satoko Fujii

Thought

From: Invisible Hand
By Satoko Fujii

Ichigo Ichie 2

From: Ichigo Ichie
By Satoko Fujii

Potential Energy

From: Yamiyo Ni Karasu
By Satoko Fujii

Running Around

From: Uminari
By Satoko Fujii

Gen Himmel

From: Shiki
By Satoko Fujii

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