Satoko Fujii, a Pianist Who Finds Music Hidden in the Details of Life
In ensembles big and small, the prolific musician uses sound to make the world’s complexities a little more graspable.
Since the 1990s, Satoko Fujii has released close to 100 albums, mostly through her own Libra Records label.Credit.Kosuke Okahara for The New York Times
March 17, 2021
Whether she’s playing solo piano or leading one of her various large ensembles, the pianist and composer Satoko Fujii will tug you toward the details.
The leader of a dizzying array of ensembles both large and small, Fujii is arguably the most prolific pianist in jazz if also among the most underrecognized. Since the 1990s, she has released close to 100 albums, mostly through her own Libra Records label. Two years ago, celebrating her 60th birthday, a milestone known as “kanreki” in Japanese culture, she put out a new album each month, including both solo piano and big-band works.