The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear




Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii 
  Aloft
  (Libra) 


  
   review by Andrey Henkin
  2024-12-11
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii: Aloft (Libra)

While it is possible that trumpeter Natsuki Tamura and pianist Satoko Fujii could equal the 47-year partnership of Duke Ellington and Harry Carney, the lofty realms of 53 years shared by Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink are most likely out of reach. But, the Japanese performance and life-partners have a pretty solid lock on the number three spot with 33 years together and over 100 shared album credits, whether in each other's groups, shared projects or as co-sidepersons.

The latest finds them distilled down to their essence as a duo. Aloft was recorded at the end of 2023 when Fujii and Tamura were in New York for gigs with Ikue Mori and came after a duo set in Philadelphia. While the jazz truism is that touring helps focus time in the studio, by now the pair need no such stimulus, knowing what the other is thinking in that mystical relationship telepathy yet still seizing upon moments of surprise and discovery. They embody the two geese captured walking in lockstep on the cover.

While the album title and the track names also reference birds, the temptation to hear the music through some sort of Audubonistic prism can be resisted. What is irresistible, however, is the playfulness the duo create in the moment, whether it be tinged with grandeur, fantasy, bombast or something extraterrestrial. Tamura's facility with extended techniques, Fujii's preparations and the inclusion of percussion widens the palette while whetting the palate.

While the pieces mostly run in the eight- to ten-minute range, allowing for wondrous motivic development, the album highlight is the shortest tune, "Traveling Bird", almost primeval in its gestures and bursts, evoking a different kind of a flight, a cancelled human one.







Comments and Feedback:



More Recent Reviews, Articles, and Interviews @ The Squid's Ear...


The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Derek Bailey/
John Stevens:
The Duke of
Wellington
(Confront)



Paul Dunmall:
Away With
Troubles And Anxieties!
(Discus)



Shifa (
Musson/
Thomas/
Sanders):
Ecliptic
(Discus)



Natsuki Tamura/
Satoko Fujii:
Ki
(Libra)



Borah Bergman/
Anthony Braxton/
Peter Brotzmann:
Eight By Three
(Mixtery)



Hedvig Mollestad Trio:
Bees In
The Bonnet
(Rune Grammofon)



Acid Mothers Temple &
The Melting Paraiso
UFO:
Black Mountain
ide
(Rolling Heads)



Evan Parker/
Bill Nace:
Branches (
Live at Cafe OTO)[VINYL]
(Open Mouth)



Alexander Hawkins/
Taylor Ho Bynum:
A Near Permanent State
Of Wonder
(RogueArt)



Joseph Holbrooke (
w/ Derek Bailey/
Gavin Bryars/
Tony Oxley):
Last Live 2001 -
In Memoriam
Derek Bailey
And
Tony Oxley
[2 CDs]
(Tzadik)



Zeena Parkins:
Modesty Of
The Magic Thing
(Tzadik)



Dave Douglas (
Douglas/
Ridout/
Adewumi/
Brennan/
Pass/
Royston):
Alloy
(Greenleaf Music)



Ivo Pereleman/
Nate Wooley/
Matt Moran/
Mark Helias/
Tom Rainey:
A Modicum
Of the Blues
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)



Angles 11:
Tell Them
It's The Sound Of Freedom
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)



Sifter (
w/ Lisa Mezzacappa):
Flake/
Fracture
(Queen Bee Records)



Jean-Marc Foussat:
Abbatage
(Fou Records)



Chester Hawkins:
Apsis
(Intangible Arts)



Karl Evangelista's Apura +
Andrew Cyrille:
Bukas
(577 Records)



Frode Gjerstad/
Alexander von Schlippenbach/
Dag Magnus Narvesen:
Seven Tracks
(Relative Pitch)



Kaze (
Fujii/
Tamura/
Orins/
Pruvost) with/ Koichi Makigami:
Shishiodoshi
(Circum-Libra)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (10796)