Yuki Fujiwara – Glass Colored Lilly (Defkaz Records, 2024)

By Fotis Nikolakopoulos

Yuki Fujiwara is a respected musician in Japan. She is prolific and seems to me, an outsider of the great Japanese traditions but who is strongly attracted by the richness of them, a polymath. She plays the flute and a Japanese version of it, the shinobue. This time, on this limited edition cd and vinyl, different traditions merge, transforming the Japanese nucleus of the music, into a global musical entity. To paraphrase Bill Laswell a bit, talking about this release, there was a deep understanding of the diversities between the musicians. This understanding, at least in my ears, means room for the musicians to listen to one another, and absorb the differences. This diversity is a weapon and not an obstacle.

Apart from Fujiwara, Bill Laswell plays a 8-string bass and is on EFX, Mitsuhiro Sonoyama plays the saxophone, Peter Apfelbaum is on keys, clarinet and flute, Will Bernard plays guitar and Adam Rudolph (I listened to his music with great joy on the two volumes of Archaisms, with Tyshawn Sorey among others, by the same label) is on percussion. Apart from figuring out how the Japanese aesthetics are channeled by two Japanese and four non-Japanese musicians, what is it exactly that makes me gravitate around this music?

The fact, of course, that, in a few words this is beautiful music. Quite simply. It is a culmination of the musical ideas, thoughts of six different artists. Above all the technicalities or discussing notes, harmonics and octaves (fields that I’m not the best to talk about…), talking about sentiment, it is the atmosphere they create. The dynamics of the music transcend a timeless feel but not one without a geographical center. To me the music centers on a modern feel of ancient Japan –or, at least, of times past. On this exact point is where personally I see Laswell’s biggest contribution. As he is a master of disguises, he is also very good in creating atmospheres, like circles that engulf the music and let it grow individually.

Talking about this word, individually, the music on Glass Colored Lilly is not a summation of individual players. Many kudos should go to the four non-Japanese artists. They have managed to mix the Japanese affiliations that, obviously, bring Fujiwara and Sonoyama along with them, with their shared musical language but, still, stay on the same path with them. Taking into consideration that Fujiwara’s instrument stay at the forefront, given the tradition the bring with them, I take it as something that makes my day feeling that here there’s a new glaze of Japanese traditions.

But Glass Colored Lilly is not just a modern take on Japanese traditions, not at all. Small details on the production and small scale contributions from all the musicians reveal a soundworld. Improvisational small scale additions like Sonoyama’s short sax phrases, notes by Apfelbaum on the keys, the rich weirdness of Laswell’s bass (much more melodic that anything I heard for a long time) and, of course, the humble, egoless not centered on keeping any rhythm, playing by Adam Rudolph on percussion.

On the fifth track of the album the long, over ten minutes, Night’s Dream Is True, we can hear Fujiwara playing but also singing (alone but also with Sonoyama and, if I’m correct, along with everybody) and breathing. All this magnificent sounds seemed to me like a presentation of this whole project. Breathing new, multicultural, fresh air in Japanese traditions.

@koultouranafigo