Yama Kawa Umi
Not Two, 2024
8/10
The pianist Sakoto Fujii, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura and drummer Ramón López come together for this dynamic trio effort that emits 9 creative jazz tracks.
The busy and energetic “Headwaters” opens with the dizzying keys and roaring horn mixing well with the strategic drumming of the powerful beginning, and “Signpost” follows with a calmer spirit that’s soulful, oddly melodic and restrained in an artistic fashion.
Halfway through, “One Day Later” is strong on ambience in a cinematic sort of way, while the drumming focused “Cold Water” showcases López’s skills amid the unpredictable keys and bright bouts of trumpet.
Landing close to the end, “Bolognaise” blurs the brass, drums and keys into an avant-garde moment of timeless jazz qualities, and “Malakoff” exits with both light and dark textures that includes strong attention to mood.
A unique collaboration that can be intense, there’s also plenty of vibrant melodies, curious intimacy and rumbling versus gentle waves that illustrates a very exciting interaction in the area of free jazz exploration.
Travels well with: Satoko Fujii/Natsuki Tamura- Aloft; Satoko Fuji Tokyo Trio- Jet Black