This is G o o g l e's cache of http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0903_012.htm. G o o g l e's cache is the snapshot that we took of the page as we crawled the web. The page may have changed since that time. Click here for the current page without highlighting. To link to or bookmark this page, use the following url: `http://www.google.com/search?q=cache%3A8XbU3fFK2w0J%3Awww.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0903_012.htm+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8` Google is not affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its content.

SEARCH |  |  |
| .. |
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER |  |
| ..

Bookmark Us! - Contact Us - Comments - Help Wanted - Advertise - Media Awards - Submit Your Link - Tell A Friend - For Contributors
MONTHLY GREETING Pack Light GETTING STARTED Welcome to AAJ! New to Jazz? Building a Jazz Library History of Jazz Jazz Humor
Show All Titles About AAJ Showcase A Little Moonlight Dianne Reeves Paesanos on the New B3 Tony Monaco The Bandwagon Jason Moran Live In Europe Sunna Gunnlaugs Word of Mouth Revisited Jaco Pastorius Big Band Smoky Dawn Lynette Washington Up For It Keith Jarrett
Jon Mayer
| . |
Before the Dawn Satoko Fujii Orchestra--East | NatSat Music
Settling down in an easy chair and pushing the play button to spin a Satoko Fujii disc is an experience akin to climbing aboard and plunging into a musical version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride: careening along a swerving and uncertain path, jerking into spine-jolting ninety degree turns, dipping, climbing, slowing onto the familiar smooth straightaway, where you're unexpectedly assaulted by jarring phenomena. This is especially true of her large ensemble work. Before the Dawn features, live in Japan, Fujii's Orchestra East, her all-star Japanese big band (Orchestra West is her Stateside crew), composed of fifteen of her homeland's best improvisors. Power, exuberance, fierce soloing... a trumpet that sounds like a badger with its foot caught in a steel trap, screaming in front of relatively mainstream harmonics; a baritone sax solo that brings to mind a disgrutled grizzly bear; moments of beauty, serenity, delicacy interspersed with seismic Elvis Costello "Pump it Up" percussion/bass modes that lead into gentle classical harmony. Honks, squeals; raucous and discordant jungle sounds; bird trills and freight trains. Consider all these things, and you still haven't captured the essence of Satoko Fujii's Before the Dawn. Unpredictable, wildly creative, and uncompromising, Fujii started as a classical musician in her native Japan before the calls of improvisation and jazz asserted themselves. In the past half dozen years she has put out a series of some of the most facinating/challenging/out-there CDs you'll find anywhere, the best of which include Minerva and Vulcan, collaborations with her trumpeter husband, Natsuki Tamura, who is also a member of this Orchestra East. Fujii is an an absolutely essential listen for anyone interested in the future of jazz. Visit Satoko Fujii on the web. ~ Dan McClenaghan
| Track Listing: Pakonya, Joh-Ha-Cue, Wakerasuka, Before the Dawn, Yattoko Mittoko Personnel: Satoko Fujii--piano; Sachi Hayasaka, Kunihiro Izumi--alto sax; Hiroaki Katayama, Kenichi Matsumoto--tenor sax; Ryuichi Yoshida--baritone sax; Natsuki Tamura, Yosihito Fukumoto, Takao Watanaben, TsuneoTakeda--trumpets; Hiroshi Fukamura, Hagureguma Nagamatsu, Tetsuya Higashi--trombones; Toshiki Nagata--bass; Masahiro Uemura--drums
Search For Another CD Review... Search by Artist Name, Record Label or Review Author
Contact Us - Help Wanted - Suggestion Box - Advertise - Submit Your Link - For Contributors

All material copyright © 1996-2003 All About Jazz and contributing writers. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy