A
FIRESIDE CHAT WITH SATOKO FUJII
Satoko Fujii is taking the underground avant world by storm. She has been
compared to Paul Bley and that is one tall compliment. But she deserves
it, although I am not too keen on that comparison, and I wondered if she
was, so I asked her, among other things, unedited and in her own remarkable
words.
FRED
JUNG: Let's start from the beginning.
SATOKO FUJII: I have been studying classical piano from the age of four
to twenty. I was planning to study classical music in college, and that
was also my parents' hope. Right before my audition to get into the musical
college, I began to feel that classical music was not the one for me.
I was like a well-trained dog that can do anything that they have told
to do, but cannot do anything by own decision. I remembered that I could
improvise without music paper when I started playing piano. After fifteen
years of classical training, I couldn't improvise at all. I wanted to
create something from my heart not by music paper that had been written
by somebody else. So that was the reason that I became interested in playing
jazz improvisation. I also became very tired of classical music people,
like some teachers who think classical music is the only and best music
without listening to any other music.
FJ:
So piano your first instrument?
SATOKO
FUJII: Yes. I dropped out of kindergarten because I was too shy and quiet
to be in there and didn't feel good having time with many friends then.
My mother took me to the piano teacher. I was four years old. She thought
I should go out sometimes instead of spending all my time in my house.
FJ:
How long did you take lessons?
SATOKO
FUJII: I took classical piano lessons for 16 years privately in Japan,
and jazz piano lessons for three years in Japan before I entered Berklee
College of Music. I studied in Berklee and the New England Conservatory.
FJ:
So you were classically trained?
SATOKO
FUJII: Very much, although I think I was never good classical player.
I had three classical teachers. The last teacher gave me a lot of inspiration.
He was around seventy years when I studied with him. He was one of the
most important classical pianists and teachers, teaching in the best musical
college in Japan as a piano department chairman. But when he was almost
sixty years old, he threw everything away to play jazz. He became a club
pianist and quit being chairman in the academic conservatory. I have been
heavily influenced by him, not only musically, but also his philosophy.
FJ:
Whom were you listening to when you first started to play?
SATOKO
FUJII: I was a big fan of John Coltrane, and that make me to listen to
his pianist McCoy Tyner. I also listened to my jazz teacher Fumio Itabashi's
playing a lot.
FJ:
What was it about those particular artists that attracted your attention?
SATOKO
FUJII: I always have been attracted by music, which sounds very fresh,
not familiar. That has some kind of risk, high energy, and deep impression.
I am not interested in some musician who plays the style that has existed
already in a beautiful way. I would like to hear some struggle in music,
just like life.
FJ:
Did you know right away that you were going to play jazz music?
SATOKO
FUJII: I knew I wanted to play jazz music when I started it. I always
like to take on something that I cannot do and am not good at. I could
say I took much longer time to become a jazz player than any other players.
FJ:
Did you think that you could make a living playing this music?
SATOKO
FUJII: I didn't think like that. I thought I could make money with doing
anything, so I was not worried about that at all. I had to support myself
by having many different jobs before I became a professional musician,
and I have found myself having good time with doing most of things.
FJ:
What was the jazz scene like in Japan at the time?
SATOKO
FUJII: The jazz scene was more exciting than now. People tend to like
classic jazz better than creative music in Japan now. I think in everywhere
people are more conservative than before.
FJ:
What was your first gig?
SATOKO
FUJII: My very first gig was solo piano playing at a small bar. I got
it through the small music school where I had been studying electric organ.
I don't even know whether I can call this a gig or not. The next one,
probably I can call this a gig, was playing in a house band in Cabaret.
We had a show every night, so I had to sight read music. I got this one
from my friend, who used to play drums in this band. I didn't feel good
playing in the band because I knew people didn't like my play. Well, I
have to say I didn't like my playing either. But this became one of the
reasons that I found a way to express myself.
FJ:
Writers have compared you to Cecil Taylor, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, and
Marilyn Crispell, is that a fair comparison?
SATOKO
FUJII: First at all, I love all of their music. I think my piano sound,
I mean touch, is a little bit like Keith Jarrett and Paul Bley. When I
play keyboard like a percussion instrument, maybe I sound little bit like
Cecil Taylor. When I play contemporary classical harmony, I may sound
like Marilyn Crispell. I probably sound more like myself than anyone else.
But if you pick a moment of my piano playing, you would think it is like
someone. Well, my voice sound pretty much like my sister, but we have
very different ideas for everything, so we don't talk the same. Things
are like that.
FJ:
You have released close to ten CDs, is there one in particular that you
feel is a watershed recording?
SATOKO
FUJII: Eight CDs have been released so far, and two others will be released
this March. All of them are very important for me because I do have a
lot of different output from solo to orchestra. It is very difficult for
me to pick one of them because I feel like they are my children and of
course I love all of them.
FJ:
Let's talk about a couple of recent records you have released, your thoughts
on them now and the various textures of the recordings, first Jo on Buzz.
SATOKO
FUJII: Jo was recorded in 1998. I wanted to expand my idea for writing
for large ensemble and improvisation. I don't like to have obvious borderlines
between writing and improvisation. The music came out beautifully. Since
all of the great players in the band have a very high musical comprehension,
the music grew much more than I expected from them. Music is alive and
that is the most interesting part of this art.
FJ:
Second, Kitsune-Bi on Tzadik.
SATOKO
FUJII: I got a fax from John Zorn. He said he want to use half of the
tape that I sent him for the CD and rest of it he suggested other instrumentation.
At first, I didn't understand his plan clearly. But after we had talked
about that I really agreed with his way. On this CD I play a Jimmy Giuffre
piece. This is the only tune of some other composer that I have recorded
ever. I mean, all of my repertoire except this are my originals. It is
interesting for me to listen to my various, different expressions from
one CD because of the instrumentation.
FJ:
Third, South Wind on Leo Lab.
SATOKO
FUJII: This is the first big band CD that I have recorded. I was very
new in New York City. I moved there in 1996 and recorded this in 1997.
Having all these great musicians in my band, the idea itself was challenging.
I had a great time at the session. It was an unbelievable experience.
Playing music has to be fun otherwise, I don't want to do it.
FJ:
You were a student of Paul Bley.
SATOKO
FUJII: I got a big influence from him, not only musically, but also as
a way to think. I have several people in my life, that without them I
couldn't get to where I am now. He is one of them for me. I felt "revolution"
in my insides when I studied with him. He has very unique and interesting
point of view for everything, not just music. Now there is a book called
"Stopping Time" by Bley about his life, music, and ideas. I think for
many people this might be very useful. In our lessons, we spent a lot
of time talking, not playing the piano. But I could play much better after
spending two hours talking with him than practicing for eight hours. As
a musician, of course, he is great. When he sits in front of a piano before
he starts to play, I can see and feel his music come from his inside with
his concentration. All great musician have that kind of power.
FJ:
You played with him on one of your albums, that must have been rewarding?
SATOKO
FUJII: It was wonderful experience. I really like being a musician and
one of the reasons is we have another language. I am talking about improvisers.
Improvising is like a conversation on very deep level. Playing with him
was just like that.
FJ:
Your husband is a trumpet player, Natsuki Tamura, must be nice living
with a fellow musician?
SATOKO
FUJII: Yes, it is. We have pretty much the same ideas and values in music
and life, but our music is different. We respect each other because I
know that I cannot do what he does and he knows he cannot do what I do.
We spent a lot of time together and we enjoy that. For many musicians,
it is very hard to have another musician as a living partner. Many times
I have heard that musician couples argue about the music and their playing.
We have never had that problem. We both like sharing everything.
FJ:
How has he supported your work?
SATOKO
FUJII: The biggest support is mental support. He knows how I feel all
the time. He has a very keen sense. He is an optimist and that makes me
feel easy. We support each other. We both cook, wash dishes, clean rooms,
and do laundry. When I have more gigs or recordings, he never minds doing
household matters.
FJ:
Do you have another record planned?
SATOKO
FUJII: My new trio CD, Toward To West, with Mark Dresser and Jim Black
will be released by Enja Records this month. Also my new orchestra CD,
Double Take, will be released from East Works Records, a Japanese label,
in March. This CD is double CD set, I mean, two CDs. One disc is by my
New York orchestra and the other disc is by my Japanese orchestra. I recorded
with a great violin player, Mark Feldman last year. Now, I am looking
for some label to release it. I also am planning to have another recording
session with Mark Dresser and Jim Black in March.
FJ:
Are Japanese, European, or American improvisers advancing the music forward?
SATOKO
FUJII: I think so. I don't know a lot about the European scene, but in
Japan and in America, I think we are now in the next stage from the last
decade. Everyone began to realize their identity and that makes improvised
music stronger.
FJ:
What does jazz mean to you?
SATOKO
FUJII: Everyone has a different definition of jazz. I use the word "jazz"
for music that has improvisation and also can include any culture and
can develop all the time. "Jazz" is not the thing that we can see in a
museum. With this definition, jazz is life and life is jazz.
Fred
Jung is the Editor-In-Chief and a part time superhero. Comments? Email
him.