Jazznet: Satoko Fujii

Af: Henrik Kaldahl (Jazznet) - 8/12-2008

En musiker i konstant bevægelse.

Satoko Fujii er en japansk pianist, komponist og arrangør, født i 1958, begyndte at spille klaver i en alder af fire år og modtog klassisk undervisning til hun blev 20. Hun stoppede på dette tidspunkt at spille klaver for at danne et band hvor medlemmerne kun sang og holdt rytmen ved klappen i hænderne, dette gjorde hun for at udforske musikken og oprindelsen af den. Et år senere var hun klar til at kaste sig over klaveret igen – nu med ændret fokus på jazz og improvisationsmusik i særdeleshed. På det tidspunkt var hun inspireret af hendes lærer, den klassiske pianist og komponist Koji Taku der i en alder af 60 år forlod sit job som formand for klaver afdelingen på Tokyo College of Art and music for at hellige sig jazz musikken. Fujii begyndte på private studier med en anden af hendes inspirationskilder den japanske jazz pianist Fumio Itabashi,som blandt andet havde optrådt med Elvin Jones og Ray Anderson. Fujii forlod hendes forældres hjem, for at forfølge sin interesse for jazzmusik, selvom hendes forædre helst havde set at hun forsatte sine studier indenfor klassisk musik.

Fujii tog i 1985 på et stipendium til Boston's Berklee College of Music i USA, hvor hun blandt andet modtog undervisning af Herb Pomeroy og Bill Pierce. I 1987 vendte hun tilbage til japan med et eksamensbevis i professionel musik, i bagagen hvor hendes oplevelser blandt andet inkluderede optrædender på de førende jazzklubber i tokyo og yokohama, lærervirksomhed på Yamaha Popular Music school, en syvårig tørn hvor hun spillede keyboards for tv og optog musik for et software firma. I 1993 vendte hun tilbage til Boston på et legat til New England Musikkonservatorium, hvor hendes lærere inkluderede jazz personlighederne George Russell, Cecil McBee og Paul Bley. Efter endt studie i 1996 og et eksamensbevis indenfor jazz performance, begyndte hendes karriere for alvor at tage fart. Hendes debut cd blev en duo cd med hendes gamle underviser Paul Bley og var en optagelse af improviserede piano duetter. Og herefter er pladerne udkommet i en lind strøm lige siden, til dato er hendes bagkatalog på ikke mindre end 50+ udgivelser. Blandt andet udgivet på hendes eget selskab Libra Records, Leo Records, Buzz records, Enja Records, EWE Records, Victo Records og Tzadik samt en masse andre.

Fujii har en fantastisk evne til at blande forskellige stilarter, med imponerende resultater blandt andet klassisk, rock, pop, jazz, free jazz og japansk folkemusik i en innovativ syntese, som man øjeblikkeligt genkender som hendes alene. Fujii forsætter utrætteligt på sin mission, med at udforske mulighederne og udvide parametre for de mange grupper, hun er etableret i. Kritikere og fans hylder Fujii som en af de mest originale stemmer i jazzen. En virkelig global kunstner, der opdeler sin tid mellem New York og Japan ligesom hendes karriere spænder over internationale grænser. Det skal blive spændende at følge Satoko Fujii og hendes mange projekter i fremtiden. Der er bestemt mere provokerende, kreativt, uforudsigelig og kompromiløs og spændende musik at lytte til på lager, mens hun forfølger hendes ultimative mål: "... to allow myself to do whatever I like without preconceptions. I would love to make music that no one has heard before". På Satoko Fujii og pladeselskabet Libra Records' hjemmeside (www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~Libra/) kan man læse meget mere om alle de spændende projekter hun og hendes mand Natsuki Tamura medvirker i.

Interview pr. mail med Satoko Fujii, August 2008.

Jazznet :
Let us start with the beginning. How did your adventures with music begin. Did you have any training by any teachers or are you self taught ???

Satoko Fujii :
I was very shy when I was little, and I quit kindergarten. My mother thought it is better for me to have sometime out not just with my mother all day long everyday. So my mother put me piano class when I was four. So I started learning classical piano then. I had been learning classical piano, composition, and conducting until I got twenty years old. Then I found myself cannot improvise after long classical education. I felt like I was well trained dog that can do anything they are told but caanot do anything spontaneously. I was not happy about it and quit even playing piano. I started improvising with my voice. I wanted to be free and also wanted to experience how music come when people didn't have instruments. For a few years I was away from piano, but came back piano when I saw Fumio Itabashi's piano play. I asked him the lessons and that is the way I started learning jazz piano. He was a piano player in Elvin Jones group and Ray Anderson's band. After I studied with him I started gigging in Tokyo as a cabaret house band pianist. I was very bad and didn't improve even with gigging every night, so I decided studying in Berklee in the states. I also have studied in New England Conservatory after Berklee.

Jazznet :
Could you try to describe what jazz is and means to you ???
Satoko Fujii :
I think Jazz is the music that you cannot see in any museum. It is alive and eat anything, so its shape changes all the time. But their spirit is there even with different sound. For me Jazz is the music we can try anything.

Jazznet :
Improvised music is these days a very different size to classify and put in any boxes, since the boundaries are very flowing. Where do you see it going in the future and what do you think is going to be the next big thing ???
Satoko Fujii :
I think we musicians should be total free to improvise. I know some improviser are afraid to play some simple harmonies with tonalty. I think real freedom of improvisation is very important. For me writing music and improvisation are very similar expression. But unfortunately very few people enjoy listening to improvised music. We live in 21 century and improvised music should be played and heard on radio and TVs more.

Jazznet :
If you should mention 5-10 records that have meant something to you and your music, what would they be ???
Satoko Fujii :
It is difficult to pick only 5-10 CDs because I have got something almost all music I have heard. But the first big meeting was with Coltrane's Love supreme. Charles Ives symphony was also big for me.

Jazznet :
You have made 40+ recordings through the years. Is there some of them in particular, you see as more important or landmarks in your production than others ???
Satoko Fujii :
I actually have made 50 CDs. I don't have any children but all my CDs are like my children. All of them are very special for me and it is not possible to pick one.

Jazznet :
I would like to talk about some of your releases, please give me your thoughts on them and how they came about. "Trace a river" by the Satoko Fujii Trio with Mark Dresser and Jim Black ???
Satoko Fujii :
This is the 9th CD with Mark and Jim. We have been playing for 12 years now. I really enjoy playing with this unit and more I play more image I can get for the compoaition. I brought some compositions I have never tried to use for this recording, like kind of minimul with texture, making one CD with combing some of my solo to make one big story.

Jazznet :
"Cloudy then sunny" by Junkbox ???
Satoko Fujii :
I have formed Junk Box for my new concept that is like 'Composed improvisation.' I used words and some graphics, not a traditional musical notation for this concept. We made our debut CD, 'Fragment' and I really liked the music so I made this second CD.

Jazznet :
"Crossword Puzzle" by Angelo Verploegen, Misha Mengelberg, Natsuki Tamura and yourself ???
Satoko Fujii :
Angelo invited Natsuki and I perform in Amsterdam and Gent with this project. "Crossword Puzzle" is from the recording at our Amsterdam concert. I released it because I had so much fun playing with Misha, Angelo and Natsuki, and also I found the music was very interesting.

Jazznet :
"Live" by the Satoko Fujii Orchestra Tokyo which is a cd and dvd set ???
Satoko Fujii :
Yes. I recorded and video taped our concert at jazz club, Pit Inn and have released it with two different format, CD and DVD.

Jazznet :
And finally "Something about water" with you and Paul Bley ???
Satoko Fujii :
I studied with Paul for two years at New England Conservatory. It was very special and important thing for me to study with him. I started accept myself after then. He recomend me to record music very often to study from out of it. Right before I graduated from the school, we went the studio and recorded this CD.

Jazznet :
You have been compared to other pianists as Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley and Cecil Taylor. Are you inspired by some of these artist ???
Satoko Fujii :
I would say I am inspired all pianist and musicians I have listened to.

Jazznet :
You are in my ears a musician who are in constant movement and going in new directions from record to record. How do you manage to come up with all these new ideas ??? What is your secret ???
Satoko Fujii :
Having many projects and making many CDs make me to have more ideas. When I record some music by my piano solo I often get some idea for my orchestra or quartet, and when I play with my orchestra I get some idea for my different projects.

Jazznet :
When i play free jazz and improvised music for the people i know they just dont seem to understand it and appreciate it the way i do. Are you some times in the situation that people dont understand your music, that it is misunderstood ???
Satoko Fujii :
I think music is the thing that can be listened to in many different ways. And it also has many different ways to be played. I like music because of it. I think nothing wrong in music. I know many people enjoy my music that I didn't expect. But it is great to know there are other way to hear it.

Jazznet :
At your concerts and on your records as well, how much is improvised and how much is planned before start ???
Satoko Fujii :
Well, depends...I sometime have total improvised concerts and sometimes 95% improvised with 5% planned, or 50%-50%�....

Jazznet :
What are you doing now, and what will be the next release from you and your projects ???
Satoko Fujii :
I am now in Lisbon. I performed her at the festival, Jazz em Agost with my Min-Yoh ensemble. I will be touring north America with my very new band, ma-do in a few weeks. Three of my new CDs are now in factory and to be ready to be released in a month, 'Heat Wave' by ma-do, 'Chun' by duo with Natsuki Tamura, and 'Summer Suite' by my NY orchestra.

Jazznet :
If a new listener was about to buy his first recording with your work. Which one would you recommend as the best introduction to your music ???
Satoko Fujii :
It is hard to tell because I do have many different mood of music so it is depend on what the listener like. If the person like wild, loud and crazy thing maybe my Japanese quartet with Tamura, Hayakawa and Yoshida. If the person like learge ensemble, one of my orchestra. If the person like something lyric, my solo....so on.

Jazznet :
Do you have any plans of coming to Denmark to play some concerts in the future ???
Satoko Fujii :
Nothing has been st up, but I would love to be there to perform. I am planning to tour Europe in February 2009 with my new band ma-do. Hopefully I can get some dates in Denmark then.

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