Satoko Fujii “Sketches” (P.J.L.) 2003

Satoko Fujii—Piano

Wild, angry, brilliant, sophisticated—the adjectives cascade as quickly as the chords for Satoko Fujii’s most recent release. Her piano playing in her big bands, small groups and duos (with trumpeter, and husband, Natsuki Tamura) is always a visceral, emotion-rich experience, but solo, she moves towards a more reflective and more expressive mode.

“Sketches” is a strong set. Fujii has an ecstatic (in the sense of outside of the static) technique. She uses the piano as a medium to move outside the normal realm, of herself, of expression, of musical limits. Her power and speed are amply displayed, as they always are, but, here, her thinking also comes out clear and direct.  That doesn’t mean this is a cerebral work. Far from it, her emotional range is vast, only, with each song, she connects, disconnects and reconnects, her thinking and feeling in varying, compelling ways.

Most intriguing on these solos are the shapes and patterns she works with. Like an abstract painter, she focuses on fundamentals--swirling lines of notes that tumble and fall over on top of each other, as on “Watershed.” On “Frozen Fire,” she stomps out a heavy left hand line that gradually guilds into upward, rounded shapes that seem to collapse in on themselves, only to emerge stronger. The musical patterns suggest visual shapes that construct themselves into geometric chunks of music.

They also deconstruct themselves. The minimalism of “Tin Can Cat” keeps the sounds unexpected and the feeling lively. You have to lean to the speakers to hear what’s going on. The bluesy calm of “Clay Pot” adds odd little twists to its blues. Fujii tinkles onto flat thirds and sevenths in between rich chords. The small moments of bluesy sadness emerge from the reflective density of lush harmonies, like a shy struggle of feeling that isn’t afraid to be percussive.

On other tunes, Fujii alternates between softness and power, slow disrupted beats and throbbing rhythms, lyrical swing and unabashed freedom. Her final three songs, “Looking Back,” “Looking Everywhere,” and “Look Up,” finish up the eleven-song collection with a broad vision and particular intensity. Fujii simply does not create dull music, ever. This piano solo recording captures musical statements that engage, intrigue, confound and impress.