Yuko Fujiyama

Night Wave

Innova 995

1. Woven Colors 3:18 

2. Up Tempo 9:38

3. Romance 1:50

4. Clash 1:00

5. Premonition 3:09

6. Indignation 3:02

7. Fireworks 1:18

8. Beyond the Sound 6:41

9. Waltz of the Shadows 1:11 

10. Autumn Whispers 2:53

11. Floating on a Breeze 2:19 

12. Leap 2:00

13. Starlight 1:14 

14. Night Wave 7:58

15. Tale of the Old Tree 2:55

—50:29

Yuko Fujiyama, piano

Jennifer Choi, violin

Graham Haynes, cornet and flugelhorn

Susie Ibarra, drums and percussion

Dear Listeners, 

Thank you very much for listening to our music.

Please let me introduce myself briefly: 

I was born in Sapporo, Japan in 1954 and started to play piano when I was four. After encountering the music of pianist Cecil Taylor, I moved to New York City in 1987 and started to perform in the early 1990’s. Since then, I have been looking for the structure of music.

It was a joy to play with these beautiful musicians. I appreciate Susie for her earthy but sensitive sound, Jennifer for her beautiful melodies, and Graham for his simple and rich expressions. Every moment we shared was precious... 

I want to dedicate this album to my parents, Masayoshi and Michiko Fujiyama.

Thank you.

Yuko Fujiyama

1 Woven Colors (Piano solo)

Threads of various colors weave themselves into stories.

様々の色の糸が織りなす物語

2 Up Tempo (Quartet)

Riding on the drum‘s driving cymbal, each one tells an exciting story.

ドラムのシンバルドライブに乗ってそれぞれが熱く語る。

3 Romance (Piano+Violin Duo)

Breathing together and dancing together, the sound of two instruments is flowing.

2つの楽器が一緒に呼吸しあい絡み合って踊るように流れてゆく。

4 Clash (Quartet)

Aggressive sounds. As if all four are arguing at once.

攻撃的な音。まるで4人が一斉に口論しているよう。

5 Premonition (Piano+Drums Duo)

A low roll of the tom-tom evokes an ancient fear of mysterious and ominous things.

タムタムの低いロールの音は人間が古代から持っている不気味な物、神秘な物に対する恐れ(畏れ)の感情を引き起こす。

6 Indignation (Piano solo)

Indignation at vice. Everybody carries evil deep inside, but our indignation at it will never vanish.

悪徳に対する憤り。誰もの奥にあるこの悪。でもそれに対する憤りは消えない。

7 Fireworks (Quartet) 

Flash of fireworks popping out from the night sky. Flash of sounds popping out from the silence.

夜空に浮かぶ花火のひらめき。沈黙から浮かぶ音のひらめき。

8 Beyond the Sound (Piano+Cornet+Xylophone Trio)

Where does the sound disappear to?  Words spoken by the eloquent silence.

音の消えて行った先は?  雄弁な沈黙が語る言葉。

9 Waltz of the Shadows (Piano Solo) 

Dance of the shadows. Melancholy waltz. 

影法師の踊り。哀愁のワルツ。

10 Autumn Whispers (Piano+Percussion Duo) 

The song of autumn in the distant sound of bells.

遠くの鐘の音に聞こえる秋の唄。 

11 Floating on a Breeze (Piano+Flugelhorn Duo) 

Gentle breeze blows, carrying us wherever she wants to.

緩やかに風に舞う。

12 Leap (Piano+Cornet+Drums Trio) 

Leap! To the right, to the left, higher, freely...

跳べ。右へ,左へ,高く,自由に...

13 Starlight (Piano Solo)

Bright and colorful piano sound. Airy and graceful. 300 years of history. 

きらびやかなピアノの響き。300年の軽やかさ。

14 Night Wave (Piano+Violin+Drums Trio. Dedicated to drummer, Jerome Cooper)

Night ocean. Dark and heavy rolling waves. 

夜の海。暗く重くうねる波。

15 Tale of the Old Tree (Piano+Cornet Duo) 

There was a big old tree standing on the top of the hill. For more than 100 years he kept an eye on the people. This is the story he told.

丘の上に大きな古い木がありました。100年以上人々を見守ってきました。その木が語った話。

Recorded at Systems Two, Brooklyn, New York. Jan 17 & May 11, 2017

Music recorded and mixed by Max Ross

Special thanks to Reggie Nicholson, Michiyo Tanaka, 

Judy Niemack, Velibor Pedevski, and Junko Arita

innova is supported by an endowment 

from the McKnight Foundation.

Philip Blackburn, director, design

Chris Campbell, operations director

Tim Igel, publicist