Keyboardist Alister Spence is an open-minded artist from Australia keen on expanding the frontiers of improvisational, experimental music, and he’s joining forces again with like-minded counterparts from Japan. Kira Kira is a quartet that grew out of a musical symmetry and a duo between the Fender Rhodes/electronics maestro Spence and the innovative pianist/composer Satoko Fujii. With Natsuki Tamura (trumpet) on board and a changing cast of drummers, Kira Kira opened up new vistas for each of its members, all of whom had spent their entire careers making music not heard before.
They don’t get to convene together much with so many other projects ongoing among them, so when they do, they make the most of it. They did with a handful of engagements in Japan at the beginning of 2024, and that made up the essence of their second longer player, Kira Kira Live.
Kira Kira Live could have been the title for the prior album Bright Force, also taped live. Since this is a very instinctual, impulsive group, the concert setting better suits this band in any case.
For this latter record, the young up and coming drummer Ittetsu Takemura is replaced by a veteran — a legend, actually — of Japanese experimental music. Tatsuya Yoshida, the linchpin of the Ruins, extends his collaboration with Fujii; we were just describing a new Satoko Fujii Quartet release in a piece a month before this one, which likewise included Tamura. Kira Kira is the same lineup as that Quartet but swapping electric bassist Takeharu Hayakawa for Spence and his electric piano with effects.
Yoshida’s entry into the mix doesn’t transform Kira Kira into the Fujii’s jazz-rock ensemble, even with the drummer constantly jetting adrenaline; it has its own unique vibe. Songwriting duties are split nearly evenly amongst the four but all compositions are written with the whole band in mind, exploiting the vast talent arrayed to the fullest.
A band that pairs a Fender Rhodes player with a pianist and no bass perhaps shouldn’t work, but with sheer flair they not only overcome that challenge, Kira Kira utterly thrives in it. The first three minutes of “Vertical Rainbow” demonstrates how Spence’s presence offers such of contrast to other Fujii/Tamura collaborations as he adds the ethereal textures of artful electronica. Following that is a parade of incendiary showcases by each member in sequence, leading up to an ascending ensemble finale punctuated by a final brief recital of the main motif.
Like all projects involving Fujii (and Tamura), the interactions between the musicians in every possible combination is given as much their due as the material being played. It’s this uncanny approach to arranging that guarantees results that have all the genuine feel wrought from the lack of forethought. On “Bolognaise,” Tamura and Yoshida are spun off into a thrilling, kinetic trumpet/drums duo. Spence and Fujii counter with solo features, Fujii’s piano embarking on a comely discourse that draws from the classical realm but with the abandon of jazz.
Another aspect of Fujii performances is to traverse through a wide range of passions, from the tranquil all the way to the tumultuous..and sometimes back again. “Green Energy” does this by building up from a peaceful point and Spence is able to facilitate this because he can manipulate electronic sounds so effectively. Like a bell curve, this song peaks in the middle and dissipates to allow Fujii to once again play poetically alone on piano while setting in motion the next ensemble motif, a dynamic but very accessible one.
The multi-sectioned “Cat Parade” bristles with melody, initially from its composer Tamura then Fujii and following a discreet break, from Spence. Eventually after some drum fireworks the song meanders its way back to its rubato start.
“Kite” stretches out over fifteen minutes, which means there are an hour’s worth of ideas stuffed into it, starting with a Spence and Yoshida face-off and evolving into some delicate, incorporeal ensemble interaction that serves as a touchpoint sandwiched by features of solo and duo performances with the band converging at the finish to put an exclamation point to the entire program.
Get Kira Kira Live now, from Bandcamp.
*** Alister Spence CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
- Kira Kira – ‘Kira Kira Live’ (2024) - October 16, 2024
- The Necks – ‘Bleed’ (2024) - October 10, 2024
- Tonino Miano Trio – ‘Luminary’ (2024) - October 4, 2024
