Masayoshi Fujita — Migratory
Qobuz new release review, Sept. 2024
The vibraphone, the percussion choice of artists like Lionel Hampton, would be an unlikely first answer if one was asked to name an instrument suited for making ambient music. Synths, definitely. Acoustic guitar or piano, probably. The main instrument behind “Flying Home”? Surely way down the list. Still, the vibraphone — and its wooden cousin, the marimba — are both remarkably fitting instruments for ambient music, as their rich tonality is melodic, warm, and a little fungible. They provide focus without sharpness, lending both space and definition when used in music like this. Japanese ambient artist Masayoshi Fujita relies heavily on both of these mallet-played instruments in his work, even crafting a trio of releases — Stories (2012), Apologues (2015) and Book of Life (2018) — built around the vibraphone. On Migratory, he combines the approach from those three albums with the avian naturalism of his last release (2021’s Bird Ambience) to create dynamic and richly textured music that is nominally “ambient” but nonetheless presents a wide range of sound and provides plenty for the listener to focus on throughout. On cuts like “Distant Planet,” Fujita’s vibraphone acts alone to provide both atmosphere and melody, while others, like “Ocean Flow,” are driven primarily by warm, lush synths. When he deftly mixes things up Migratory gets extra-interesting, whether it’s the layered saxophones on “Blue Rock Thrush” evoking a sort of alternate-reality ECM aura, or the expansive album-closer “Yodaka,” which is one of three cuts here that incorporates the Japanese shō.
Although it’s a nearly entirely instrumental album, one of the most captivating moments on Migratory comes on “Our Mother’s Lights,” which features a stunning appearance by Moor Mother (Camae Ayewa), in what may be her most gentle vocal performance ever. Similarly, Hatis Noit’s singing on “Higurashi” is both evocative and intense. “Pale Purple” opens in a way that is dissonant and insistent, operating at an intensely high frequency anchored by deep, resonant tones at its base; Fujita’s percussion brings this contrast together into a fully realized soundscape that is meditative and steeped in ancient vibes.
