Now on its ninth album ‘Sleeping Cat,’ Natsuki Tamura’s Gato Libre has never really been about jazz; it’s folk music with an open mind.

Music that relaxes doesn’t necessarily have to be devoid of subtlety and rich complexities. Gato Libre has proven that time and again, and ‘Koneko’ makes it an open-and-shut case.

Turns out that Satoko Fujii’s rule-breaking orchestras can continue with their marvelously misbehaving ways even when someone else leads.

Through death comes transformation. Gato Libre is a band whose body has changed, but its original heart perseveres.

Gato Libre makes the difficult decision to go forward after the loss of a key member.