Kaze

The quartet Kaze is a singular formation on the international improvised music scene, bringing together four major figures of contemporary creation: Japanese trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, pianist Satoko Fujii, percussionist Peter Orins, and trumpeter Christian Pruvost. Born from encounters between the Japanese and European scenes, Kaze operates within a transnational dynamic where free improvisation is nourished by open compositions, fragmentary writing, and a strong awareness of form.

From its beginnings in 2010, the group has asserted a radical aesthetic, both dense and spacious, in which the brass instruments trace shifting lines—at times incisive, at others lyrical—in constant dialogue with inventive, structuring percussion. The collective playing favors contrasts, ruptures, and zones of instability, while maintaining a clear sense of form. This tension between composition and improvisation stands as one of the project’s central axes.

The quartet’s albums reflect a continuous evolution of its musical language. Early recordings lay the groundwork for a sonic world shaped by collisions, raw energy, and fragmented constructions. Over time, Kaze has developed a more architectural approach, where silence, texture, and dynamics take on a central role. Compositions by Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura—often built on simple yet open-ended motifs—serve as springboards for unpredictable collective developments.

Occasional collaborations further enrich this universe. The contribution of composer and electronic musician Ikue Mori introduces a subtle electronic dimension, made of micro-events and granular soundscapes, while the participation of vocalist Koichi Makigami expands the field toward a highly expressive vocal language, somewhere between sound theater and experimental poetry. These encounters broaden the group’s aesthetic spectrum without ever diluting its identity.

Across its discography—from Rafale to Atody Man, including Sand Storm, Crustal Movement, Unwritten, and Shishiodoshi—Kaze explores a wide range of territories: telluric energy, textural abstraction, fragmented pulsations, and restrained lyricism. Each album marks a new stage in the search for balance between spontaneity and structure, chaos and precision.

On stage, the quartet unfolds a remarkable intensity. Deep mutual listening allows for sudden shifts, explosive builds, or near-motionless suspensions. The physicality of the playing—particularly in the interaction between brass and percussion—gives the music an almost choreographic dimension.

Kaze thus stands as a living laboratory of contemporary improvisation, where Japanese and European experimental traditions intersect in a constant search for new forms and shared sonic experiences.

The group is declined in several projects with different collaborations and configurations. Find them on this page, below.

Kaze & Ikue Mori

Guest Star

The international quartet Kaze, meets pioneering laptop player Ikue Mori, and the fusion turns out to be very natural and does not produce any imbalance. A famous improviser, Ikue Mori was an obvious choice for the members of the original quartet when it came to inviting a fifth person for the Sons d’Hiver festival in Paris in January 2020.

A strong intuitive bond unites them around many improvisation sequences: the small subtle details, the rapidly changing timbres and the ease with which everyone interacts indicate a group where each member is selflessly dedicated to creating lively and organic improvisations. Each member of Kaze brings their own compositions that provide a framework for individual solos as well as collective interaction. Their mastery of extensive techniques on their respective instruments often makes it difficult to tell if a sound is acoustic or electronic.

Watch their performance at the Sons d’Hiver Festival #29 featured by France Musique.

Satoko Fujii (piano), Ikue Mori (laptop), Peter Orins (drums), Christian Pruvost (trumpet), Natsuki Tamura (trumpet)

Trouble Kaze

Triple duo

The members of Kaze like to multiply meetings and collaborations. Liking to play on the doubling of timbres and sound ambiguities, as it is already the case with the 2 trumpets, very quickly came the desire to double each instrument. By calling upon two major actors of the European improvised music scene, Sophie Agnel and Didier Lasserre, a double trio, a triple duo was born... Trouble Kaze.

Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), Christian Pruvost (trumpet), Satoko Fujii (piano), Sophie Agnel (piano), Didier Lasserre (drums), Peter Orins (drums)