The Squid's Ear Magazine


Fujii / Fonda / Mimmo: Triad (Long Song Records)

An album recorded on the 59th birthday of pianist-composer Satoko Fujii, the second recorded with bassist Joe Fonda on the Long Song imprint, this time in a trio with soprano saxophonist Gianni Mimmo, the focus of the album the 42 minute monumental improvisation "Birthday Girl", a sophisticated and engaging dialog of lyrical playing and great beauty.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Satoko Fujii-piano

Joe Fonda-double bass, flute

Gianni Mimmo-soprano saxophone


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UPC: 8032089000390

Label: Long Song Records
Catalog ID: LSRCD 142/2018
Squidco Product Code: 25877

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2018
Country: Italy
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Real Sound Studio, in Milano, Italy, on October 9th, 2017, by

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"The second CD in a series of compelling releases featuring the lady of avant jazz Satoko Fujii and bass giant Joe Fonda, now with the addition of sax soprano master Gianni Mimmo. The result of a totally improvised one day studio session, Triad is a marvellous achievement in daring and spectacular avant jazz music. What better way for pianist-composer Satoko Fujii to celebrate turning 60 than with an album recorded on her birthday.

Last year, Fujii, bassist Joe Fonda, and Italian soprano saxophonist Gianni Mimmo went into the studio to record Triad (May 25, 2018, Long Song Records) on Fujii's 59th birthday. Though they had only played together once, in concert the night before, the trio is remarkably confident and communicates on a deep level. The music is unhurried and graceful, yet always challenging.

Fujii and Fonda were planning a European tour in October 2017 and asked Long Song label owner Fabrizio Perissinotto, who released their 2016 album, Duet, if he knew of any opportunities to perform in Italy. Perissinotto talked with his good friend Mimmo and a concert and recording session were arranged. (In July, Long Song will release another Fonda-Fujii duet album recorded later on the same tour.) They had never heard Mimmo before, but "Joe and I listened to his music and we both had the feeling this would be great," Fujii says. They were wise to trust their feelings; the album is consistently engaging. The music they make transforms and flows effortlessly while always maintaining focus. There is no sense of Mimmo intruding on established duo partners, but instead there's a beautiful, almost classical, balance to the ensemble, with each musician engaging equally in an intimate conversation.

The centerpiece of the album is the 40-minute long improvisation, "Birthday Girl," a title which highlights Fujii's youthful spirit. The music evolves organically as the trio splits into different instrumental combinations and shifts between lyricism and abstraction, highly rhythmic passages and gently flowing ones. "It's just amazing how we can communicate with other musicians even if we don't speak the same language," Fujii says. "Of course, there are certain things we only can say with spoken language, but musical language is a more direct communication between soul and soul."

After their marathon improvisation, they decided to play several shorter pieces to round out the album. Each one is distinct in character. "Accidental Partner" is a quiet little gem that unfolds over Fonda's rich bowed tones. "No More Bugs" is a busy piece in which the players scurry around one another. The spare, powerfully atmospheric "Available Gravity" neatly balances abstraction and pure sound with lyrical wood flute and soprano sax. "Joe Melts the Water Boiler" is a tightly integrated collective improvisation.

"I think all my musical experience prepares me for improvisations like this album," Fujii says. "Practicing and composing both feed into improvisation. I just need to trust myself and accept myself. Actually, my whole my life is practice for free improv."-Long Song Recordings


Artist Biographies

"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.

Regular collaborations include her New York trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Jim Black, augmented by trumpeter/husband Natsuki Tamura to form the Satoki Fujii Four; her duo with Tamura; the Satoko Fujii Quartet featuring Tatsuya Yoshida of the Japanese avant-rock duo, The Ruins; Orchestra New York, which boasts the cream of New York's contemporary avant garde improvisers, including saxophonists Ellery Eskelin and Tony Malaby, trumpeters Herb Roberton and Steven Bernstein, and trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, among others; Orchestra Tokyo, drawing on that city's best improvisers; Orchestra Nagoya; Orchestra Kobe; the co-operative trio Junk Box with Tamura and percussionist John Hollenbeck; ma-do, a quartet including Tamura on trumpet, bassist Norikatsu Koreyasu, and Akira Horikoshi; the Min-Yoh Ensemble with Tamura, trombonist Hasselbring, and accordionist Andrea Parkins; the Satoko Fujii New Trio, featuring bassist Todd Nicholson and drummer Takashi Itani― plus countless engagements and collaborations with some of the world's most important improvisers."

-Satoko Fujii Website (http://www.satokofujii.com/bio.html)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Joe Fonda is a composer, bassist, recording artist, interdisciplinary performer, producer and educator.

An accomplished international Jazz artist, Fonda has performed with his own ensembles throughout the United States ,Canada , Europe and Asia. He has collaborated and performed with such artists as Anthony Braxton ,Archie Shepp, Ken McIntyre, Lou Donaldson, Bill and Kenny Barron, Leo Smith, Perry Robinson, Dave Douglas, Curtis Fuller, , Bill Dixon, Han Bennink, Bobby Naughton, Xu Fengia, Randy Weston, Gebhard Ullmann, Carla Bley, Carlo Zingaro, Barry Altschul, Billy Bang.

Fonda was the bassist with the renowned Anthony Braxton sextet, octet, tentet, from 1984 through 1999. Fonda also sat on the Board of Directors from 1994 to 1999, and was the President from 1997 to 1999 of the newly formed Tri-Centric Foundation. He has also performed with the 38-piece Tri-Centric orchestra under the direction of Anthony Braxton, and was the bassist for the premiere performance of Anthony Braxton's opera, Shalla Fears for the Poor, performed at the John Jay Theater in New York, New York, October 1996.

As a composer, Fonda has been the recipient of numerous grants and commissions From Meet the Composer New York and the New England Foundation on the Arts . He has released twelve recordings under his own name. (Reviews and recordings available). Fonda was also a member of The Creative Musicians Improvisors Forum directed by Leo Smith, and was the bassist with the American Tap Dance Orchestra in New York City, directed by world renowned tap dancer, Brenda Bufalino.

In 1989, Fonda performed with Fred Ho's Jazz and Peking opera in its world premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. From 1982 to 1986 Fonda was the bassist and dancer with the Sonomama Dance Company. An independent producer since 1978, Fonda is the founding director of Kaleidoscope Arts an interdisciplinary performance ensemble and is the producer and musicial director for the Connecticut Composers and improvisors Festival from 2001 to 2011.

Currently Fonda has been recording and touring extensively with the Fonda-Stevens Group, Conference Call , The Fab Trio, The Nu Band and Bottoms Out , with performances at the Bim huis in Amsterdam, Holland, Prague Jazz Festival, Czech Republic, Jazz Halo Festival, Belgium, Jazz Festival Thurinsen, Weimer, Germany, Berlin Jazz Festival Berlin Germany , Jazz Im Agusto Festival Lisbon Portugal, Natt Jazz Festival Bergen Norway, The Vision Festival New York, New York, Jazz and More Festival Sibiu Romania, Bakau Jazz Festival ,Azerbijan, Tondela Jazz Festival Tondala portugal , Vancouver Jazz Festival ,Vancouver Canada, Guelph Jazz Festival ,Guelph Canada .

Two of Fonda's most recent projects are From the Source, The Off Road Quartet.

From the Source is a group that incorporates the tap dancing and poetry of Brenda Bufalino and the healing arts of Vicki Dodd, and four jazz musicians. The group has released their first CD entitled, Joe Fonda and From the Source, on Konnex Records.

The Off Road Quartet is comprised of four musicians from four different countries. Ux Fengia from Beijing China , Carlos Zingaro from Lisbon Portugal , Lucas Niggle from Zurich Switzerland and Joe Fonda New York USA. The Off Road Quartet blends the musics from all four of these musicians cultures into a unique musicial and visual experence."

-Joe Fona Website (http://joefonda.com/biography)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Gianni Mimmo: Improviser and composer in the fields of jazz and experimentation on his own original projects, mainly focused on relationship among distant artistic declinations, Gianni Mimmo (1957) has built an international reputation for his unique treatment of musical timbre and his exploration of advanced techniques on the soprano saxophone.

His style has developed a unique blend of abstract lyricism and contemporary flavours and his works have been excellently reviewed by international magazines and webzines.

Based in the Milano area, Italy, Gianni started his research at the end of the '70s playing as saxophone player (mostly alto and baritone saxes) with several Italian experimental bands and investigating the relationship between music and spoken word in countless performances in theatres, communities, houses, streets, political sit-ins, auditoriums and small houses.

In 1994 Gianni Mimmo switches to soprano sax after some lessons/conversations with Steve Lacy who opens him the door to a different attitude and perspective in music.

Since then Gianni dedicated himself to soprano sax only.

The music-text formula drove him to work with poets, writers and singers. [...]"

-Gianni Mimmo Website (http://www.giannimimmo.com/sites/default/files/bioENG.pdf)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Available Gravity 4:36

2. Birthday Girl 42:13

3. Accidental Partner 3:36

4. No More Bugs 3:07

5. Joe Melts The Water Boiler 2:56

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Trio Recordings
Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura's Libra Label
Asian Improvisation & Jazz
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Melodic and Lyrical Jazz
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
Satoko Fujii 60th Birthday Releses

Search for other titles on the label:
Long Song Records.


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