Great improvisers reveal a lifetime of experience and artistry in every note. For both pianist Satoko Fujii and bassist Joe Fonda, that brings to bear an estimable history of collaboration with some of the music’s greatest practitioners and travel that spans the globe. It also means that despite the fact that their winding paths had never previously crossed, they immediately tapped a rich vein of musical understanding during their first-ever performances together. On Duet, a live recording of their second concert in November 2015, they share a seemingly telepathic link that makes the music intimate and mercurial. It’s an adventurous musical exchange that features some of their best playing on record.
Satoko Fujii Joe Fonda duet with special guest Natsuki Tamura sparks fly in historic first meeting between pianist Satoko Fujii and bassist Joe Fonda concert recording features two of improvised music’s most creative minds “satoko Fujii is one of the most original pianists in free jazz…” – Steve Greenlee, Boston Globe “Joe Fonda is a real virtuoso and composer of the highest order.” – Anthony Braxton great improvisers reveal a lifetime of experience and artistry in every note. For both pianist satoko Fujii and bassist Joe Fonda, that brings to bear an estimable history of collaboration with some of the music’s greatest practitioners and travel that spans the globe. it also means that despite the fact that their winding paths had never previously crossed, they immediately tapped a rich vein of musical understanding during their first-ever performances together. On Duet, a live recording of their second concert in November 2015, they share a seemingly telepathic link that makes the music intimate and mercurial. it’s an adventurous musical exchange that features some of their best playing on record.
"A phenomenal performance. ***** 5 stars" - Budd Kopman, All About Jazz.
"DUET is here to freak you out. Free Jazz at its finest" - Mike Greenblatt, www.theclassicalarts.com
"The conversation is intuitive, at times seemingly telepathic — and it creates an enormous amount of drama and joy" - Steve Feeney, The Arts Fuse
"Satoko Fujii is a force of nature, one to be reckoned with, which positions Duet as one of the most vital discs of its type you'll hear this year" - Darren Bergstein, The Squid's Ear
"The music is by turns reflective and intense, always focused and often striking in its complex beauty. ****1/2 " - Karl Ackermann, All About Jazz
" This music is commanding, yet infused with a wide-oper spirit. 4 STARS **** " - Josef Woodward, Downbeat
"...it’s a fluid, shared invention, an exploration of each other’s special resources. There are explosions of spontaneous color, rapid-fire inventions..." - Stuart Broomer, The New York City Jazz Record
Top Ten Jazz Albums of 2016, Robert Bush, NBC San Diego
"This masterful, exciting duo calls for more, many more performances and recordings" - Eyal Hareuveni, Free Jazz Blog!
"A splendid record" - Enrico Bettinello, jazz critic and writer
#2 of the Best Album 2016, Music Magazine
“This is 37 minute long piece, but it doesn’t sound like that long.
Every moment has a lot of fresh story and rich tension, and both Fujii and Fonda develop it with deep communication. … even so, what a wonderful bassist Joe Fonda is! …with his beautiful acoustic bass sound and with his high ability of improvisation, I fall in love with his high technique and deep expression. …I praise the spiritual integrity that comes from their sincerity and free musical conversation. …After a long time I have listened to the best improvisation that is so thrilled.”
-Masahiko Yu, Jazz Tokyo
“Fonda takes various approaches like pizzicato, bowing, body tapping and even plays flute, and Fujii expands her play colorfully with serene phrase and dynamic play that played by her own beautiful piano touch and she also plays piano strings. We can hear rich and tasty story from their extraordinary interplay.”
-Kazune Hayata, Jazz Life
