Hailed as one of the most creative free jazz pianists of our time, Japanese composer Satoko Fujii is a figure who needs no introduction to fans and regulars at Krakow Jazz Autumn. She has performed in Krakow many times, enchanting the audience each and every time. Her memorable concerts with the KAZE quartet and the Krakow Improvisers Orchestra have become extremely important events in the history of the festival. This year, Satoko Fujii will honor us with her presence yet again, in the form of two performances. During the first one, she will be accompanied by the incredible Joe Fonda.
Fujii has an extremely rich back catalogue, including over 80 albums recorded in various line-ups with leading musicians from the improvised and experimental scene. She will perform in a duet with the renowned American bassist and composer Joe Fonda, known for his collaborations with Michael Jefry Stevens, Archie Shepp, Ken McIntyre, Lou Donaldson and Anthony Braxton. The latter called him “a real virtuoso and composer of the highest order.”
The Tokyo pianist’s extremely dynamic and unconventional style of playing perfectly accommodates not just jazz, but also contemporary music, traditional Japanese music and avant-rock. Hence, some of her best work are collaborations with leading Japanese experimental musicians – Takeharu Hayakawa, Tatsuya Youshida and Natsuki Tamure, or American virtuosos Mark Dresser and Jim Black. Fujii decided to celebrate her 60th birthday in an extraordinary way, releasing a dozen albums, one each month of her jubilee year. Mizu (Long Song Records, 2018), the second of these albums, was recorded with Joe Fonda. The two also collaborated on the fifth album in the series, Triad. All About Jazz wrote that “the album has no shortage of either hypnotically discreet moments or wildly swinging passages”. There will certainly be plenty of those at her two Krakow shows!
Satoko Fujii (Japan) – piano
Joe Fonda (USA)– bass
TICKETS : 30 PLN in presale, 40 PLN on the day of the show
Pupils and students of music schools and colleges, as well as musicology students can buy tickets for each concert at the price of PLN 10 (admission upon showing ID).
WHEN: November 17
WHERE: ALCHEMIA, Estery 5
START: 8 PM