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Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York: Entity

By Karl Ackermann
January 26, 2020
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As she did in 2019, pianist/composer

Satoko Fujii

piano
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Satoko Fujii—an artist at home in many formations—opens the new decade with an orchestra recording. Entity, from Fujii's Orchestra New York, is the eleventh release from the ensemble that has remained largely intact for almost twenty-three years. It is an all-star collective that includes saxophonists

Oscar Noriega

clarinet

" data-original-title="" title="">Oscar Noriega,

Ellery Eskelin

saxophone, tenor
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Ellery Eskelin and

Tony Malaby

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Malaby, trumpeters

Natsuki Tamura

trumpet
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Natsuki Tamura and

Herb Robertson

trumpet
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Herb Robertson, guitarist

Nels Cline

guitar, electric
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Nels Cline and drummer

Ches Smith

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Ches Smith.

Entity has its moments of tranquility but it is—overall—a contentious collection. Tamura, Fujii's husband—often a primary source of alien trumpet noises—here shares that function with Cline and the reed section. Despite frequent brushes with anarchy, there is a buoyant and fervent feel to the music. Each of the five tracks run to double-digit lengths, time enough for innumerable plot twists. Consider the opening title track. It begins with a percussion solo, then a swell of horns. Cline seems to sneak his way in quietly but then unleashes full-blown pyrotechnics. Abruptly, the brass takes the piece back and restores calm before a slow build-up to another frenzied state. To suggest that the other pieces on Entity implement a similar approach implies there is a pattern to Fujii's work here. That's not the case. The composer/improviser simply works within an orderly/disordered world of her own making, maintaining just enough control to avoid excess.

Not all the compositions on Entity are as arduous as the opening or "Elementary Particle." "Gounkaiku" and "Everlasting" play out like a hybrid of

Gil Evans

composer / conductor
1912 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Gil Evans, steampunk and noise. As a big band tactician, Fuji continues to composes like nobody else. It is impossible to turn away knowing that something extraordinary is coming. Often, many such things in a single extended orchestra work. The author Toni Morrison wrote, "chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge—even wisdom." We learn something meaningful with each new work from Fujii and Entity is no exception.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Entity; Flashback; Gounkaiku; Elementary Particle; Everlasting.

Personnel

Satoko Fujii

piano

Briggan Krauss

saxophone

Ellery Eskelin

saxophone, tenor

Tony Malaby

saxophone, tenor

Andy Laster

saxophone, baritone

Natsuki Tamura

trumpet

Herb Robertson

trumpet

Dave Ballou

trumpet

Curtis Hasselbring

trombone

Joe Fiedler

trombone

Nels Cline

guitar, electric

Stomu Takeishi

bass

Ches Smith

drums

Oscar Noriega: alto saxophone.

Album information

Title: Entity | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Libra Records

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