Fusion Gets a Spectacular Second Life

Song of the Week

I love it when I wake up to find a wonderful new surprise waiting for me, and boy, this one really got me excited. I have been following these musicians for years, and have featured some of them in previous articles. However, I had not seen this lineup before.

They are part of a community of jazz, funk and fusion musicians who continuously rotate among each other’s bands, sparking new ideas and energizing each other. It shows in their live performances. They are giving new life to those genres even while blurring the boundaries between them.

For me, hearing something like this is a weird mix of nostalgia with the shock of the new. They echo a lot of the vibe of the great fusion bands of the 1970’s, but their compositions are new, modern, and bright. They throw in touches of bebop and funk, and it all works seamlessly.

The leader of this particular ensemble is Rie Tomimatsu, better known by her stage name Rie aka Suzaku. Here is a previous article I posted about her, with some background on her fusion forebears. The article features four performances, each one conveying its own distinct feeling, and all featuring different mixes of musicians,

“The Next Step”, performed by:

Rie aka Suzaku (guitars)

Miku Yonezawa (soprano sax)

Rina Hoshino (bass)

Kurumi Fujioka (keys)

Kanade Sato (drums)

This piece was composed by the drummer, Sato, who at 22 is still barely past child-prodigy status. She is now one of the most sought-after session musicians in Japan. It features Miku Yonezawa, the tenor saxophone player best known for her wild soloing with the Jazz Avengers. Here she picks up a “curly” soprano sax and knocks our socks off.

You can really hear Sato’s musicality—she doesn’t just keep time, she adds depth and complexity to the overall soundscape. The energy level is high, and all of the band-members are in great form. This is an ideal piece of music for starting your day off right!