Jim Black News

It's often said, when one door is closed, another one is opened. That's how Satoko Fujii viewed the end of her ma-do quartet brought on by the sudden death of the bassist, Norikatsu Koreyasu.

In concert and on its debut full-length disc, "Hands" , the seven-piece group Superhuman Happiness begins the proceedings with a round of syncopated handclaps.

Pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura , wife and husband, maintain a staggering productivity, in terms of quantity, quality-and, most incredibly, in terms of variety.

Liebman and fellow tenor Ellery Eskelin complement each other beautifully on Renewal .

In the 90s fans of adventurous jazz and improvised music could hardly avoid bassist Michael Formanek even if they wanted to - he was a robust, driving, and empathetic presence on many records, especially those made by Bloodcount , Tim Berne 's powerful quartet with fellow reedist Chris Speed and drummer Jim Black.