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A stunning Japanese modal / spiritual jazz album by the incredible saxophonist Sinsuke Fujieda featuring Fumiko Takeshita on violin, recorded in Tokyo in 2023 - five splendid own compositions - a beautiful listen.

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A new classic of contemporary Japanese spiritual/modal jazz is born. Fukushima, the new album by Tokyo-based saxophonist and flutist Sinsuke Fujieda  and his group, is simply remarkable. Here unfolds a stunning soundscape painted with overflowing emotion and a quiet, powerful inner energy. 

Performed by a first-rate sextet active across different scenes, the music recalls the cool, deeply atmospheric sound of 1970s modal and spiritual jazz, while weaving in subtle elements of classical, world, and East Asian musical traditions.

The modal jazz piece “Fukushima” is led by flowing, luminous piano phrases; “Float in Oriental Spring)” evokes an oriental beauty with a faintly sensual glow; “Silent Night” stands out with its tight rhythm and supple bass-driven groove; the classical-leaning “Nobody Knows” blends elegant strings with soprano saxophone in a gorgeous interplay; and “Perspective” unfolds as a sharp-edged spiritual jazz tune propelled by vivid percussion. 

With a cool and coherent musical vision, and masterful arrangements and performances, this album is a true gem. — (via Label)

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Sinsuke Fujieda - Tokyo-based saxophonist and flutist - leads a first-rate sextet through five stunning compositions that channel the deep, atmospheric sound of 1970s modal and spiritual jazz while weaving in elements of classical music, world traditions, and East Asian sensibilities. If you didn't know the recording date - May 2023, at Groove Studio Matsudo - you'd swear this was an unearthed treasure from the golden era of Japanese acoustic jazz.

The lineup is extraordinary: Fumiko Takeshita on violin, Shinichi Tsukamoto on piano, Shigeru Kato on bass, Kensaku Ohsumi on drums, and Daisuke Alkhaly on percussion. The interplay between Fujieda's tenor and soprano saxophone and Takeshita's violin is something special - she occupies the space where a second horn might be, gliding with a spiritual quality that recalls Michael White's work on Impulse. The piano drives with flowing, luminous phrases. The rhythm section locks into grooves both tight and supple.

The title track opens with saxophone and violin intertwining over folk-tinged melodies, building toward long-spun solos and moments of thrumming concordance. "Float in Oriental Spring" evokes an Eastern beauty with a sensual glow. "Silent Night" pulses with bass-driven groove and percussive snap. "Nobody Knows" blends elegant strings with soprano saxophone in gorgeous, bal-musette-inflected counterpoint. "Perspective" closes the set with sharp-edged spiritual jazz propelled by vivid percussion - playful, pulsating, pulling cherished past into diffuse present.

Fujieda came up through the Tokyo club scene, working with broken beat and downtempo producers Why Sheep?, i-dep and Calm, later joining Japanese cumbia collective Mumbia Y Sus Candelosos. The group released two 7-inch singles in 2022 and 2024 before this debut full-length. Upon release in spring 2025, Fukushima hit #1 on Juno Records and Discogs sales charts. Jazz streaming charts placed it #1 in Thailand, #2 in Finland, #4 in UK, #5 in Belgium, #7 in USA.

For fans of John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders and the classic Japanese spiritual jazz of the early seventies - Terumasa Hino, Masabumi Kikuchi, Ryo Kawasaki - this is essential listening. Overwhelmingly beautiful. The real deal. — (via SoundOhm)

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Label: Superfly Records 
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Stereo, 2nd press
Country: Japan
Released: 2025
Genre: Jazz
Style: Contemporary Jazz, Japanese Jazz

File under: Jazz // Japanese Jazz
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