Satoko Fujii: Unwritten

LIBRA 207 (RECORDED MAY 2023)

The name of this group as well as the name of the recording speaks volumes about what you will hear on the recent release from Satoko Fuji, who Cadence once described as “the Ellington of free jazz.” The group name Kaze is the Japanese word for wind. The wind howls through the bursts, blasts and whispers of trumpeters Natsuki Tamura and Christian Pruvost. Using his percussion arsenal, drummer Peter Orins stirs up everything from tornadic explosions to gentle morning breezes. Fujii adds to the atmosphere with her always unique and personal style. What better title for the recording than Unwritten. After 13 years of working together, this is Kaze’s first completely improvised album. The best example of this is the opening 37-minute “Thirteen.” Fujii starts with a series of sparse single notes as Tamura, Pruvost and Orins add the punctuation marks. A period here. An explanation point, there. A semi-colon to expand on a thought. Even an ellipsis to shift from one thought to another. The other two selection on this live set recorded during a concert in France explore the multitude of sounds these four improvising artists can conjure up but they fall short of the grandeur of the opening selection.

BOTTOM LINE: This totally improvised performance by Kaze is an adventure for both listeners, and I would imagine even more so for Fujii, Tamura, Pruvost and Orins. I will look forward to their next adventure — improvised, composed or both!