MASAYOSHI FUJITA - Book Of Life

When it comes to the vibraphone in Italy, it's impossible not to think of composer Lino Capra Vaccina, author of the Italian minimalist avant-garde gem "Antico Adagio". But all over the world new musicians keep emerging, trying to stand out in the ever-expanding sea of contemporary releases. Among them is Masayoshi Fujita, Japanese by birth but Berlin-based by choice, who for years has devoted himself passionately to the study of the vibraphone, an instrument of enormous (and often untapped) potential. In 2018 Fujita closes the trilogy begun with "Stories" (2013) and "Apologues" (2015).

Throughout his trilogy, the Asian composer has proven capable of writing pieces that have nothing to envy in compositions written for instruments deemed more noble and more academically respected (the piano, for instance). His distinguishing trait lies in pushing the instrument to the limits of its possibilities, altering its timbres with sheets of aluminum or fragments of metal, and reshaping its sound spectrum to create a prepared vibraphone in ways reminiscent of John Cage's prepared pianos.

An unfathomable journey tied to modern classical (ethereal atmospheres and background strings à-la Max Richter), to the avant-garde (John Cage), to the quiet calm typical of Peter Broderick's piano works, and to clear ties with Japanese music, always with an eye toward emotional depth and communication with the listener. "Book Of Life" aims to be a concept album about human life, about relationships between people, portrayed through the elegant "relationship" between vibraphone and cello, overlapping and lifting each other up ("Snowy Night Tale").

The journey leads us through childhood memories (the childlike music box of "Book Of Life"), from moments of despondency and melancholy ("Fog") to sudden flashes of joy ("It's Magical"). In many passages there's an effect of pure contemplation, of dreamlike reflection on the shifting, necessarily changeable phases of life. Besides the tracks already mentioned, standouts include the melancholy "Sadness", the vibraphone-and-choir piece "Misty Avalanche", and the closing "Cloud Of Life", poised on the border between silence and minimalism.

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11/12/2018