Fumio Karashima "Piano Solo"
Fumio Karashima Piano Solo “Everything I Love”
(Pit Inn Music Inc./Disc Union 2015)
辛島文雄 ピアノソロ『エブリシング・アイ・ラブ』
（ピットインレーベル／ディスクユニオン2015）
Fumio Karashima 辛島文雄 —piano
Solo piano is a hard way to garner an audience or even produce a CD in this day and age. Consumers tend to want heavy, intense sound, something big for their money. Fumio Karashima’s latest solo piano CD is a meaningful pleasure because it goes against that trend. Karashima delivers an thoughtful and elegant CD.
On Karashima’s latest release, one of dozens he has put out over the years, the sound is acoustic and very human. That’s what solo piano is all about—human to human music. And in Tokyo, a city that threatens to overwhelm the human scale at every turn, this CD goes against the trend towards more sonically crowded sound that is, all too often, computerized. The sound here is natural and forthright.The playlist here incorporates plenty of standards, but lesser-known gems, too. “The Girl from Ipanema” must be one of the most recognizable tunes on the planet, but Joe Henderson’s “Recorda Me,” and Herbie Hancock’s “Toys,” are much lesser known. All are given lovely versions here, since Karashima obviously knows all the songs deeply and intuitively. At times, he brushes a melody with soft insistence, at others he romps through with a bluesy left hand. Always, he sounds like himself.
His take on “Recorda Me” gets very intense, with a driving bass line and full forward throttle, as if he is somehow missing, or reflecting on his usual setting with bass and drums behind him. He packs in so much character to that song, though, it is as if there were two others there boosting the feeling.
The traditional Swahili tune, “Malaika” is calm and stately, with the kind of openness that comes from open sky more than the Tokyo skyline. “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” also a common standard, is enlivened by Karashima’s unique, shifting tempos. He finds a special relation to the various small sections of the melody, crafting each one again, before delivering them precisely and intentionally.
Karashima is in no hurry here, and it is a pleasure to flow along slowly and serenely through each of the pieces with him. He works with the themes and melodies and chords by complicating them at times and finding their simple heart at others. His very individual way of coming to rest on an unexpected note or re-phrase with a fresh feel makes this recording special.
Fans who want a big full-on jazz sound have plenty of other choices, but those jazz fans that are not afraid of the intimacy of a single piano playing right to them will enjoy this work immensely.