Satoko Fujii / Tatsuya Yoshida

Satoko Fujii/Ramón López

Confluence

Libra Records 2012-057

Too diffuse to be called The Two Sides of Satoko Fujii, these recent CDs allow a comparison of the strategies the Japanese pianist employs improvising with two drummers with boldly distinct agendas. By the same token, Fujii’s creativity has more facets than a diamond, considering that she’s played in nearly every configuration from big band to solo and most in-between.

Fujii has long had a musical relationship with both percussionists. Spanish-born, Paris-based Ramón López is a versatile Jazz-Improv stylist known for his work with aggregations ranging from ones featuring Barry Guy to the Orchestre National de Jazz. Picking up where they left off 15 years ago, is the pianist’s duo with Japanese drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. Yoshida’s credentials range from founding The Ruins to playing with Derek Bailey.

With introductory delicate voicing at first it appears as if Confluence is going to be a languid date. But the pace picks up almost as soon as López rebounds with harder ruffs and rim shots at the same time as Fujii is stroking staccatissimo patterns at high pitches. However her gift for melody is never displaced, so that a track such as “Run”, with the pianist’s dynamic swirls mated with glissandi and eddying movements, suggest ripened Bud Powell-like licks as much as Cecil Taylor’s kinetic dynamics. Roving through the eight selections, Fujii finds paths in processional formalism as well as inner piano string plucks and strums plus textures that crackle and echo off the soundboard. The drummer displays the same authoritative versatility, with his beats, vibrating rebounds and clanking rufffs. If there defining track on the disc though, it’s “Three Days Later”. With it, the two unroll a passionate yet powerful narrative which advances legato piano story telling alongside relaxed drum swell and press rolls.

Baikamo’s mostly brief tracks couldn’t be termed romantic and are rarely relaxed. Yet Fujii’s reflective tunefulness never deserts her. In fact concise melodies frequently peer out among the speedy clattering percussiveness and tremolo keyboard power-chording which characterize many of the duets. Point of pride can go to those sequences in which the two players sound an associated theme and later recap it so that it becomes the glue that positions the shards of exploratory sounds that surround it. This is particularly evident on tracks such as “Aspherical Dance” and “Ovgwebkwum”. On the first, Yoshida’s smashing and dashing pulses underlie, Fujii’s intense voicing which moves from low-pitched pedal pressure to sweeping inner-piano glissandi, yet with the melody carrying through notwithstanding. Yoshida’s Rock-music training is one port of “Ovgwebkwum” – just as Fujii’s expressive soloing on “Front Line” appears to reference both notated music and movie soundtracks – but the dull roar emanating from distended and pressurized Mylar pops doesn’t detract from the main narrative. Similarly on Fujii’s side, while pianos runs detour into dark timbre emphasis and dissected multiphonic edging to confirm a process’ modernity, the horizontal theme is still omnipresent,

If the Fujii-Yoshida duets have a weakness, it’s that 16 are far too many tracks to cram onto an album. Since a few are concise variations in the two minute range, fewer longer sequences would have worked better. Other than that, there’s not much to choose between – or criticize about – these notable discs.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Confluence: 1. Asatsuyu 2. Road Salt 3. Run! 4. Winter Sky 5. Three Days Later 6. Tick Down 7. Quiet Shadow 8. Confluence

Personnel: Confluence: Satoko Fujii (piano) and Ramon Lopez (drums)

Track Listing: Baikamo: 1. Gidvbadhophen 2. Rolling Down 3. Hvwebsjhoill 4. No Reflection 5. Zpajigemfluxss 6. Baikamo 7. Ajhisakdafitch 8. Aspherical Dance 9. Djofaksobhisc 10. Laughing Birds 11. Ovgwebkwum 12. Front Line 13. Ruvwsevjieck 14. Climber’s High 15. Walsjhechrifo 16. Ice Age

Personnel: Baikamo: Satoko Fujii (piano) and Tatsuya Yoshida (drums)