Satoko Fujii

Victo 40th Anniversary Super Sale. Satoko Fujii's Min-Yoh Ensemble brings together Fujii on piano, Natsuki Tamura on trumpet, Curtis Hasselbring on trombone and Andrea Parkins on accordion for original music inspired by the directness and emotional force of Japanese folk traditions, reimagining their simple forms, scales and communal spirit through richly expressive contemporary composition and improvisation.

Min-Yoh means folk music in Japanese. Almost all of them are made by people, not by professional composers. And they were arranged as they were played and sung, by all the people who played it. Because it is music for ordinary people, it usually has very simple form, structure and scales. After I studied classical music and jazz music, I began to be interested in Min-Yoh. I found in it a totally different power from the music I had previously studied and played. When I play, sing and listen to this music, it goes directly to my heart. It is hard to explain, but I can even feel it in my Dna. I have been thinking about making my own Min-Yoh for a long time. I wanted to leave it its power. There are many music styles that have used the form, scales and rhythms of Min-Yoh, but they often lose the power, which is the most important part of this music. I have in my band musicians who totally understand this idea. With their beautiful, deep and powerful expression, I was able to make this project happen the way I wanted to.

Satoko Fujii, February 2007