Fujiwara, Tomas - Pith CD
SKU
OOYH 022
Tomas Fujiwara’s 7 Poets Trio:
Tomas Fujiwara - drums and compositions
Tomeka Reid - cello
Patricia Brennan - vibraphone
“The compositions for Tomas Fujiwara - Pith were written between April 2020 and January 2022. It was a time of minimal to no performing opportunities, which was a massive lifestyle change for Fujiwara, an active drummer on the international touring scene. Because of this there was no deadline for Pith (a first for Fujiwara), and while he knew he was writing for his 7 Poets Trio, featuring cellist Tomeka Reid and vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, he had the freedom to compose at his own pace and edit at will.
The process was therapeutic, and allowed Fujiwara to think about what in life was truly essential, necessary, and important...the pith. He practiced the idea of stripping away extraneous things - noises and distractions - and getting to the heart of what matters. For some of the pieces he composed up to ten simultaneous lines of music even though he knew he was composing for the trio, and from there decided what the essence was, stripping things down and developing those individual ideas.
The resulting album features six tracks of narrative chamber-jazz, performed by three of the finest improvisers and interpreters of composed material active today in modern creative jazz.
Tomas Fujiwara assembled his 7 Poets Trio with Patricia Brennan and Tomeka Reid for the first time during his residency at The Stone in April 2018. As has been the case with his past ensembles, Fujiwara brought together two musicians who had never played together before, creating a brand new combination of musical personalities. Their rapport was instantaneous.
Both Brennan and Reid have intense Western Classical training as part of their musical history. Fujiwara of course realizes this, and the compositions for Pith treat the trio as a mini orchestra, with each musician filling multiple roles throughout the record. If you then consider that each member of the trio is also an extraordinary improviser, it places Fujiwara’s 7 Poets Trio alongside the great bands of Henry Threadgill, Anthony Braxton, Ingrid Laubrock, and Anna Webber, composers who are expertly integrating modern classical composition with masterful improvisation.”
- LabelOut of Your Head
- UPC198025427787