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Reviews

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Kobe — After the Storm
(Libra 215-084, 2026, CD / DL)

Satoko Fujii's Bunker Ulmenwall Orchestra — Bunker Ulmenwall Orchestra
(Libra Gema no#, 2014/2026, 2CD / DL)

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin — Second Attempt
(Libra 212-085, 2026, CD / DL)

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Tokyo — Kappa Ondo
(Libra 214-087, 2026, 2CD / DL)

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Nagoya — Korekara
(Libra 216-086, 2026, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-11-12

After the Storm Cover art Bunker Ulmenwall Orchestra Cover artSecond Attempt Cover artKappa Ondo Cover artKorekara Cover art

Over the years, Satoko Fujii has worked in a wide range of different settings, from solo piano to many different small group configurations to large ensembles. With these five latest releases, she focuses on the latter, with relatively large groups based in different cities. The Bunker Ulmenwall Orchestra consists of seventeen musicians (with Fujii acting only as director), and their album was recorded in 2014 in the German city of Bielefeld. It features five tracks running from six to 46 minutes, two credited to Fujii and one each to trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, bass saxophonist Andreas Kaling, and alto saxophonist Luise Volkmann. The orchestra consists of three trumpets, five saxes, two trombones, one cello, and a rhythm section of double bass, piano, electric guitar, and two drummers. There’s also Joel Kohn, credited with sampling and electronics, though his contribution is hard to make out in the mix. In some ways, I find Kaling’s “Yamantaka” the most compelling track, with its wild guitar solo from Lucy Liebe. In general, this set, like all of Fujii’s large ensemble projects, blends varying degrees of improvisation into the music, and also includes many stretches of very sparse, quiet activity. For Second Attempt, Fujii and Tamura travel some 378 kilometers east to Berlin, where they joined the Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin, an eleven-member ensemble that includes a few musicians we’ve covered elsewhere: Gerhard Ullmann, Paulina Owczarek, and Peter Orins; once again, Fujii acts solely as director and does not play. The five tracks, which were recorded in May of 2026, comprise a single suite, and in general lean much more towards the improvisational side. There are again two drummers, and they lend a distinct air of forward-moving chaos to the proceedings.

The next three orchestras are based in Japan. Orchestra Kobe gives us After the Storm, a four-part suite performed by a fourteen-piece group of similar configuration to what we’ve seen before: five saxes, three trumpets, two trombones, guitar, bass, and two drummers. All the tracks are over ten minutes in length, and include some fully-composed ensemble sections as well as improvisations for individual players and smaller subsets of the group. Many of the musicians incorporate non-standard techniques into their performances. The Orchestra Nagoya tackles another four-part suite on Korekara. This fifteen-member band features only one drummer, and includes alto saxophonist Ryoko Ono, whom we’ve previously covered. Finally, the thirteen-member Orchestra Tokyo’s album is called Kappa Ondo and includes six individual pieces. All in all, this is five and a half hours of music, and there are only minor differences between the sounds of the five orchestras. Fujii is nothing if not prolific, and it’s hard for anyone to keep up. In general, I enjoy the composed sections of these pieces more than the sometimes long stretches of solo playing. Very few of the 24 tracks covered are under ten minutes in length, so listening even to the individual albums is a commitment and not for those of short attention span. I can certainly imagine that the live performances of these pieces could be quite compelling, but even for a dedicated fan like me, the attention wanders and I long for a punchy five-minute statement. This is all pretty far from typical big band jazz, and if you’re interested in Fujii’s large ensemble work, I’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite among these.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases, 2014 recordings

Related artist(s): Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura, Ryoko Ono / Ryorchestra, Peter Orins, Paulina Owczarek

More info
http://satokofujii.bandcamp.com

 

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