The highly improvisational quartet Kaze makes their first 100% improvisation record ‘Unwritten’ and it’s just as unconventionally delightful as they are with written pieces.

One of Satoko Fujii’s first ensembles in the mid-90s following her graduate studies was a trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer You May Also Like: Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio – ‘Moon On the Lake’ (2021) Kira Kira [Satoko Fujii] – Bright Force (2018) Satoko Fujii + Alister Spence –Read More

Satoko Fujii’s genius can be difficult to encapsulate on a single record. We may finally have a good starting point with ‘Hyaku: One Hundred Dreams.’

When left entirely to his own devices (literally), Natsuki Tamura’s imagination runs wild. With ‘Summer Tree,’ he gave himself more places for his imagination to run, thanks to multi-tracking.

With a prepared piano, Satoko Fujii once again makes “music that no one has ever heard before.”

The piano/vibraphones duo isn’t exactly a new concept, but Satoko Fujii and Taiko Saito take that concept to places it’s never been before. The exotic places they visit make ‘Beyond’ a trip well worth taking.

Satoko Fujii and Tatsuya Yoshida are heavyweights in Japan but are both world-class vanguard musicians. ‘Baikamo’ is a welcome return to their summit meetings on the edge of what is possible with just a piano and drums.

Satoko Fujii doesn’t play an instrument in her orchestra; she conducts it. Still, there is hardly a more accurate manifestation of her genius artistry.

This completes a year-long celebration of Satoko Fujii’s 60th birthday with the same inventiveness, grace and genius shown throughout the entire series.

The word ‘Mahobin’ means ‘thermos bottle’ but also ‘magic bottle’ in Japanese, and the magic made for ‘Live at Big Apple in Kobe’ that retained its passion throughout meant that this fledgling group had lived up to both meanings of the name.