福盛進也

For 2 Akis is a 2018 release from the trio of Japanese drummer Shinya Fukumori, French saxophonist Matthieu Bordenave, and German pianist Walter Lang. This album from the Munich-based trio is the realization of Fukumori’s long-held desire to record for the German ECM label. The recording itself was made at a studio in the South of France, a location that evokes scenes of peaceful warmth and slow serenity. In addition to the music, it is perhaps this picturesque presence that was also captured in Fukumori’s concept and the trio’s playing on For 2 Akis. ...

Koichi Sato’s two-disc album Embryo is another remarkable showcase for the talented composer/arranger/pianist. Unfolding the gift-like box presents two CDs enclosed in an all-paper-and-cardboard-constructed package, a pleasing way to open the concept album. The placid cover art also carries a surprise, one that is illuminated when the lights are turned down for a listening session. The concept is made clearer in the titles of the two discs, Disc 1 “Water” and Disc 2 “Breath”. The two titles perhaps symbolize the transition from womb to world, and describe the sounds of each side. The first disc has Sato playing fourteen of his songs on solo piano, and the second finds Sato playing with small ensembles on twelve tracks, with some of his songs rearranged and repeated between the two discs. ...