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Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double: March

By Mark Corroto
March 16, 2022
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Drummer, composer and vibraphonist

Tomas Fujiwara

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Tomas Fujiwara did not set out to rebut the saying "familiarity breeds contempt," but March from his sextet Triple Double does just that. His combination of three pairs of double instruments—guitarists

Mary Halvorson

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Mary Halvorson and

Brandon Seabrook

guitar
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Brandon Seabrook, cornet/trumpets

Taylor Ho Bynum

cornet
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Taylor Ho Bynum and

Ralph Alessi

trumpet
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Alessi, plus double drummers

Gerald Cleaver

drums
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerald Cleaver and

Tomas Fujiwara

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Tomas Fujiwara himself—creates respect, the opposite of contempt. The harmonious and organic nature of this music, first heard on their self-titled debut album Triple Double (Firehouse 12, 2017), is due to the relationships Fujiwara has cultivated in differing ensembles. He performs with Halvorson and Bynum in the latter's Plustet, Sextet, and 9-tette, and in The Thirteenth Assembly, with Halvorson in her Code Girl and Thumbscrew, and he also has a long-standing duo with Bynum. Then there is Fujiwara's trio with Seabrook and Alessi, which released Variable Bets (Relative Pitch, 2014). This leaves us with Cleaver, one of the most in-demand drummers working in creative and improvised music today. Here, just as on the initial release, the two drummers are simpatico and their approaches nearly indistinguishable.

How does Fujiwara negotiate three pairs of musicians? He does so through organization and arrangement. The opener "Pack up, Coming For You" pairs one guitar and one trumpet in a duo, before swapping for the second pair, and finally bringing both pairs together with drums as the substructure. "Life Only Gets More" is a gentle ballad, quietly coaxed by the stuttering swing of drums. "Wave Shake And Angle Bounce" could be mistaken for a

Henry Threadgill

woodwinds
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Henry Threadgill composition, with its tightly woven discipline and "Docile Fury Ballad" burns with a heavy metal thunder. Fujiwara's music has always been complex, yet it remains very accessible. Triple Double, like his band The Hook Up never loses its center, or the listener's ear. "The March Of The Storm Before The Quiet Of The Dance" opens quietly before increasing pace, and crossing into more and more difficult terrain, but Fujiwara's compositions always maintain the whole. The album ends with "For Alan, Part II," a continuation of a duo Cleaver and Fujiwara began with their 2017 eponymous release. Its 17+ minutes are a celebrative opus of meditation.

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Track Listing

Pack Up, Coming For You; Life Only Gets More; Wave Shake and Angle Bounce; The March and the Storm Before the Quiet of the Dance; Docile Fury Ballad; Silhouettes in Smoke; For Alan, Part II.

Personnel

Tomas Fujiwara

drums

Gerald Cleaver

drums

Mary Halvorson

guitar

Brandon Seabrook

guitar

Ralph Alessi

trumpet

Taylor Ho Bynum

cornet

Additional Instrumentation

Tomas Fujiwara: vibraphone (6).

Album information

Title: March | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Firehouse 12 Records

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