| Jazz |
Summary: A deeply intimate and demanding piano duo album where Myra Melford and Satoko Fujii turn composition and improvisation into a profound musical conversation.
When Two Pianos Speak as One: Myra Melford and Satoko Fujii in Rare Dialogue
Myra Melford, one of the most compelling pianists in contemporary jazz, joins forces with the remarkable Satoko Fujii to deliver what could only be an extraordinary album. It is not, however, a record for every listener. Its intricate architecture will speak most directly to seasoned ears, those willing to engage with works that unfold gradually and demand attention. Melford contributes four compositions, Fujii three, and together they shape the kind of album that asks you to sit down, slow your pace, and listen deeply, letting yourself be guided by the dialogue at the piano.
To understand the spirit of the project, it helps to begin with the title Fujii chose. Drawn from Japanese, it refers to an open-hearted conversation between close friends. It is a beautiful idea, made even more meaningful by Fujii’s explanation: when she plays with Melford, she feels as though she is speaking with a dear friend. The feeling is clearly mutual. It is rare to encounter music in which both performers are so fully present in the moment, where something as intimate as emotional truth emerges with such clarity and honesty.
This recording comes to us via ORF, captured live at the Jazz Festival in Leibnitz with striking sonic clarity. Now and then, you can hear the subtle imprint of the live setting, the natural resonance that slips into performances outside the studio. Yet what leaves the deepest impression is the palpable concentration of the two artists. Their musical language seems to unfold without limit, shaped by refined ideas and a level of nuance that only musicians of the highest caliber can sustain.
Fujii was a student at the New England Conservatory, studying with Paul Bley, when he introduced her to Melford in 1994 during one of Melford’s solo concerts in Boston. Their friendship grew steadily over the years. The desire to perform together finally took shape in January 2007, when Fujii organized a duo concert while Melford was visiting Tokyo.
In the early days, their music was entirely improvised. Over time, written material began to anchor and deepen their shared language. Their first album was fully improvised, but for this project, each pianist brings her own compositions. As Melford explains, they came to value having preexisting material to help shape and merge their respective vocabularies and approaches to improvisation into a shared vision. There is a clear affinity in their playing. Choosing compositions that allow for openness and flexibility provides a thread that carries through the performance. Melford, in particular, sought simple structures that could open onto multiple paths of development, balancing a common framework with expansive freedom.
Listeners with a background in classical music will likely feel at home here. The compositions draw deeply from that tradition, though in a raw and distinctly contemporary form. The result is a poetic space, guided by a sense of direction that often emerges in the opening moments of each piece. What becomes most fascinating, as the album unfolds, is how the two pianists gradually move toward complete freedom, their language loosening and expanding from track to track.
It stands as one of the most absorbing albums in recent years. That these two artists would eventually share the stage feels almost inevitable. They complement each other with remarkable intuition, and what they create together is a work of real substance, one that commands both attention and respect.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, May 5th, 2026
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Musicians :
Satoko Fujii: piano
Myra Melford: piano
Compositions: Myra Melford (1, 3, 4, 6), Satoko Fujii (2, 5, 7)
Track Listing :
Interlude I
Signpost
Pairs
Chalk
Kaiwa
IV
From Sometime
Recording engineer: Norbert Stadlhofer (ORF)
Recording producer: Philipp Weismann (ORF)
Mixing and mastering: Maïkôl Seminatore
Photograph: Michele Giotto
Cover design: Max Schoendorff
Cover realization: David Bourguignon
Satoko Fujii, Myra Melford – かたらひ (KATARAHI): Recorded live on September 27th 2024 at Jazzfestival Leibnitz, Leibnitz, Austria