ZEPHYROS is the third outing for pianist Satoko Fujii's part Free Jazz/part Post Rock quartet.

Testosterone certainly isn't lacking on Zephyros, the latest outing from the prolific (though still largely unsung) Satoko Fujii Quartet. And you wouldn't expect it to be, powered by a rhythm section consisting of Takeharu Hayakawa, whose muscular electric bass recalls the glory days of early 80s punk funk, and drummer extraordinaire Tatsuya Yoshida (of Ruins fame). Yoshida can handle Fujii's gusty prog metrical intricacies with consummate ease - hardly surprising, since he was weaned on the stuff - and topped off with Fujii's punchy piano and Natsuki Tamura's blazing trumpet, the band really cooks on "Flying To The South". Fujii's stylistic influences are wide and not always easy to pin down: "First Tango" is Carla Bley-like in its precision-engineered harmony and bass line doubled on piano left hand and bass, while the crashing power chords and rumbling octave pedals of "The Future Of The Past" inevitably recall McCoy Tyner. Elsewhere there are hints of pianists as diverse as Kenny Kirkland, Keith Tippett and Paul Bley. Tamura is not all blood and fire, either. In the opening minutes of "One Summer Day" his full rich tone - impeccably recorded, as is the whole album - provides a temporary respite before Fujii comes charging in with tight arpeggios that gradually give way to a minute's ecstatic freakout. Yoshida's rock background and sheer volume, though impressive, are sometimes overwhelming - his mighty snare drum thwacks in "Clear Sky" are rather overpowering, and the deft odd number metrics sound rather wooden. By way of antidote, the opening minutes of "15 Minutes To Get To The Station" let rip with joyous abandon, until the metrical magma resumes. Fortunately, Fujii has the good sense not to let the music go out with a bombastic bang, and winds things down in the closing minutes. It's another solid outing from a tight and impressive band, and one more reason for you to check out what's happening on Not Two at the earliest opportunity. (Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic Magazine)