Aloft
Libra, 2024
9/10
The pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura come together for this 9th duo album, where 6 exploratory tracks blur the lines of jazz.
“Migration” opens the listen with Fujii’s soft keys that welcome Tamura’s soulful and rich horn to the 8+ minutes of spontaneous songwriting, and “Wintering” follows with ambience that segues into delicate keys and manipulated trumpet for a highly unclassifiable delivery.
“Traveling Bird” and “Lifting” occupy the middle spots. The former is populated by firm keys and strategic use of space amid the brass bouts, while the latter places twinkling keys into a mesmerizing album standout. The last selection, “Waiting For Dawn”, balances sparseness with careful piano and sparing but effective trumpet for a cinematic closer.
A profoundly technical affair that uses improvising in artistic ways, both forcefulness and restraint are present, as the pair contribute unparalleled skill to an atypical vision.
Travels well with: Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio- Jet Black; Keiji Haino/Natuski Tamura- What Happened There?