SPIIC Lecture Concert no.13

Freitag 12.05.2023 19:30
HfMT, Multifunktionsstudio

Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura (JP)
+ Mizuki Wildenhahn, Björn Lücker und Vlatko Kučan
Im Konzert und im Gespräch über Improvisation als traditionsübergreifende Methode.

Mit der japanischen Pianistin, Komponistin, Improvisatorin und Bandleaderin Satoko Fujii und ihrem Partner, dem Trompeter Natsuki Tamura begrüßen wir zwei ganz besondere Künstler, Grenzgänger und Weltenbummler des zeitgenössischen Jazz und der Improvised Music. Seit Jahrzehnten unterwegs zwischen Tokyo und New York, den Kontinenten, musikalischen Traditionen und Genres gehören sie heute zu den renommiertesten Protagonisten einer globalisierten neuen Improvisationsmusik. An diesem Abend werden sie gemeinsam mit Mizuki Wildenhahn (percussive dance), Björn Lücker (drums) und Vlatko Kučan (reeds) Improvisieren und über Ihre Arbeit sprechen.

Pianist and composer Satoko Fujii, “an improviser of rumbling intensity and generous restraint” (Giovanni Russonello, New York Times), is one of the most original voices in jazz today. For more than 25 years, she has created a unique, personal music that spans many genres, blending jazz, contemporary classical, rock, and traditional Japanese music into an innovative synthesis instantly recognizable as hers alone. “Fujii’s music troubles the divide between abstraction and realism. . . . All of this amounts to abstract expressionism, in musical form. But it’s equaled by her rich sense of simplicity, sprung from the feeling that she is simply converting the riches of the world around her into music,” writes Giovanni Russonello in the New York Times.
A prolific composer for ensembles of all sizes and a performer who has appeared around the world, she was the recipient of a 2020 Instant Award in Improvised Music, in recognition of her “artistic intelligence, independence, and integrity.” Her talent as a big band composer, arranger, and leader have been recognized numerous times in DownBeat Critics Polls. The New York City Jazz Record has twice named her Artist of the Year. In 2021, El Intruso named her Pianist of the Year. Since she burst onto the scene in 1996, Fujii has led and recorded with some of the most consistently creative ensembles in modern improvised music. She recorded her 100th CD as leader or co-leader live in concert in September 2022. “Whether performing with her orchestra, combo, or playing solo piano, Satoko Fujii points the listener towards the future of music itself,” writes Junichi Konuma in Asahi Graph. Fujii’s ultimate goal: “I would love to make music that no one has heard before.”
Since 1997, Tamura and Fujii’s powerful collaboration has enlightened and engaged listeners. Their repertoire ranges from total improvisation to Tamura’s deeply beautiful, world-music influenced compositions and Fujii’s compositions with their complicating meter, line, and harmony. With just two instruments, they can create anything from a quiet Japanese traditional song to the blast of a crazy large ensemble. They have wowed audiences at jazz festivals in London, Vancouver, Italy, and Montreal and other venues around the world.

Eintritt frei

SPIIC ist ein Teilprojekt des LIGETI-Zentrums / Artistic Research Lab. und wird in der Bund-Länder-Initiative Innovative Hochschule durch das BMBF und die GWK gefördert.