feature photo: Hideo Arimoto
Natsuki Tamura and Satoko Fujii are a husband-and-wife team of musicians and composers of the highest order, furthering the art of some of the most challenging, unique and ultimately, alluring music of the last several decades. They do this primarily in the service of each other’s innumerable projects but sometimes, direct collaboration between the two in the form of a duo is the right vehicle.
Their 2025 release Ki (Libra Records) is the tenth such collaboration between them.
Tamura and Fujii are two of the most brilliant musicians working today, and the brilliance doesn’t always comes from being overtly provocative and doing the unexpected. They can also flash genius in subtle, understated ways. The Tamura-led Gato Libre is a prime example of this; Ki follows that same path. You could even possibly consider Ki a Gato Libre album stripped down to the core duo, except that Fujii is on piano instead of her customary accordionist role when she’s playing in that larger band. But the compositions here were all brought by Tamura except for one Fujii contribution, and that Gato Libre sentiment pervades.
Tamura — an absolute master of getting the most alien sounds out of a trumpet — can also play the horn with the purest tone and ripe poignancy, and that alone makes “Kayaki” a mighty tone poem. Fujii, however, follows the same fervor on piano, spacing notes wide and making them more impactful that way. Fujii’s spare approach continues right into “Sugi” but in this instance, there’s greater interplay between the two.
“Hinoki” has a lovely Fujii feature where her classical background serves the song well. Able to shift the mood with the subtlest modulations, her ability to keep human emotion at the center of her performance is a trait that doesn’t come from any conservatory but rather inside herself. She does it again for “Kusunoki,” but the melody itself that Tamura conceived might be the real highlight of this track. It’s full of suspenseful turns, and in spite of its esoteric nature, Tamura can still present it effectively on his trumpet alone.
Fujii flirts with dissonance during “Arakashi” but pulls back from the edge to return to the delicate loveliness of Tamura’s strain. “Kunugi” traverses through meaningful moments where the two are conversing together as of a single mind, Tamura playing alone and Fujii playing alone.
“Dan’s Oceanside Listening Post” is Fujii’s tune, and it’s notable how her composing style can closely resemble Tamura’s when the occasion calls for it. Tamura plays in a lyrical, painterly style that’s not too unlike Enrico Rava.
Natsuki Tamura and Satoko Fujii’s Ki doesn’t set out to make ripples and hit the listeners hard with idiosyncrasies. The placidity they opted for with this album reveals the other characteristics of a couple whose talent and creativity knows no bounds.
Ki is available now on Bandcamp.
*** Natsuki Tamura CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
*** Satoko Fujii CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
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