Natsuki Tamura’s Duo with Guitarist Keiji Haino

Cover of the album being discussed

Yesterday I wrote about the latest albums from Libra Records as a “husband and wife” offering of pianist Satoko Fujii and her spouse, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. On that occasion, I focused on Fujii’s release, Altitude 1100 Meters, promising that Tamura’s release would have an article of its own. Today I shall make good on that promise. The title of Tamura’s album is What happened there?, and it is a duo performance with guitarist Keiji Haino. It is divided into four tracks, which unfold without interruption for a duration of 36 minutes.

The advance material I received describes the performers as “[t]wo of improvised music’s greatest provocateurs.” That provocation arises from the fact that much of the performance itself involves vocalization. Since my knowledge of Japanese is hopelessly weak, I have no idea whether there were any lexical roots behind that vocalization. Nevertheless, there is no end of expressiveness in how those vocal passages are delivered, which a clear intention that what is being expressed need not have much to do with reality. In my own context of Japanese performances, I am not embarrassed to suggest that those vocalizations tend to evoke the spirit of Akira Kurosawa (or, perhaps, John Belushi in one of his samurai skits) on a bad acid trip.

Mind you, there is more to the performance than an intimidating “sonic wall.” On the assumption that this is a recording of a single spontaneous improvisation, it is worth noting that both players come to an agreement that quietude would be in order around midway through the performance. However, I see this as a device through which the players maintain listener attention by keeping him/her/them guessing about what comes next on the overall journey from beginning to end.

Personally, I find this sort of listening experience to be a lot of fun. Nevertheless, I suspect that just about everyone I know (including my wife and any of the “serious musicians” with whom I converse) will probably head for the hills before the first few minutes have elapsed. Perhaps the title of Tamura’s album raises a question that defies any answer based on what his music is or how it is being performed. Have listened to the album several times, I still feel at a loss when it comes to providing a clear and comprehensible account of “what happened.” To coin a phrase from an earlier generation, I have pretty much resigned myself to “go with the flow!”

Because, like Fujii, Tamura also records on Libra Records, the best venue for purchase is the CD Store Web page on the label’s Web site.