Sinsuke Fujieda Group - Fukushima

Sinsuke Fujieda Group
Fukushima
Superfly Records/SoFa Records
Japan, 2025
LP (3rd pressing, with black obi)

Killer spiritual/modal jazz out of Tokyo—first released in 2025 and very hard to get ahold of through its first two pressings. It’s easy to see why. Think Coltrane’s My Favorite Things, Brubeck’s Time Out, and the legendary Japanese audiophile label Three Blind Mice. It’s rare to find a modern jazz album that embraces tradition and emerges as a classic and a keeper, in spite of the weight of history it bears. This is one.

FROM THE LABEL:

A new classic of contemporary Japanese spiritual/modal jazz is born.
Here unfolds a stunning soundscape painted with overflowing emotion and a quiet, powerful inner energy.
“Fukushima,” the new album by Tokyo-based saxophonist and flutist SINSUKE FUJIEDA and his group, is simply remarkable.Performed by a first-rate sextet active across different scenes, the music recalls the cool, deeply atmospheric sound of 1970s modal and spiritual jazz, while weaving in subtle elements of classical, world, and East Asian musical traditions.The modal jazz piece “Fukushima (edit)” is led by flowing, luminous piano phrases;
“Float in Oriental Spring (edit)” evokes an oriental beauty with a faintly sensual glow;
“Silent Night (edit)” stands out with its tight rhythm and supple bass-driven groove;
the classical-leaning “Nobody Knows (edit)” blends elegant strings with soprano saxophone in a gorgeous interplay;
and “Perspective” unfolds as a sharp-edged spiritual jazz tune propelled by vivid percussion.
With instantly memorable melodies, a cool and coherent musical vision, and masterful arrangements and performances, this album is a true gem.