Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura - in Krakow in November (Not Two Records, 2006) *****

The spouses Satoko Fujii (piano) and Natsuki Tamura (trumpet) do it again : and how! Fujii is a musical octopus who can handle any form of jazz and who produces one CD after the other which are at the same time creative, interesting and varied, in terms of styles, of line-up (big band, quartet, duos, solo, ...), and with a high quantity output : 7 CDs in 2006, 5 in 2005, 8 in 2004. An overview of all these would lead us too far, but check her blog for more information. Now about this CD : it is wonderful from beginning to end. This is jazz which brings more reference to the European jazz tradition than the American, and broader than jazz per se : classical music and folk elements also have a dominant role. The first piece is the title song from their Gato Libre album "Strange Village" (highly recommended) : a sad and beautiful melody which is perfectly suited for a funeral march, in the positive sense. But this couple is not afraid to leave the beaten track, and they make that clear from the second piece : Fujii tortures the strings of her piano while Tamura brings voiceless blowing and sharp sounds, evolving into a thundering uptempo change. Then the music becomes more meditative, romantic, subdued without being mellow, the piano lightly supporting and emotionally heartbreaking trumpet improvisation. This is modern jazz of the highest level, played by a couple that has an intimate musical relationship and perfect mastering of their instruments. Fantastic!

Listen to In Krakow, In November