For those not in the know, in various configurations, from solo to duo to orchestra, pianist Satoko Fujii has amassed a prodigious and voluminous output, hitting the 100-album mark in 2022, and that’s only counting her work as a leader.

Amongst all that achieving is the output of the Satoko Fujii Quartet alongside trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, bassist Takeharu Hayakawa, and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida.

Jazz-rock is the group’s specialty, avant-garde friendly in its explorations as it avoids leaning too heavily into familiar aspects of fusion.

After a long dormant stretch, they have reconvened for studio record number six, Dog Days of Summer, available on CD and digital September 13th through Libra Records.

1. Not Together (5:47)
2. Haru wo Matsu (9:21)
3. Metropolitan Expressway (8:27)
4. A Parcel for You (5:44)
5. Circle Dance (11:18)
6. Low (6:42)
7. Dog Days of Summer (7:28)

This dutifully elegant musical work of art opens on the elegantly propulsive Not Together and then brings us the expressively smooth Haru wo Matsu and the sweeping Metropolitan Expressway, which in turn is backed by the euphorically-charged A Parcel for You, the joyously-sculpted Circle Dance and the rhythmical Low rounding things out, the triumphant, titular Dog Days of Summer closing proceedings.

Satoko Fujii Quartet:
Natsuki Tamura - trumpet 田村夏樹
Satoko Fujii - piano 藤井郷子
Hayakawa Takeharu - bass 早川岳晴
Tatsuya Yoshida - drums 吉田達也

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