March 2000

Yuko Fujiyama String Ensemble
Tag
CIMP Recordings

By Ron Welburn

Tag debuts pianist Yuko Fujiyama, accompanied by cellist Tomas Ulrich and violinist Mark Feldman. Several pieces appear at least partly to have been scored and, even with improvising, their work seems on the lyrical side of Ives, Carter and Earle Brown. They range from "Pep Talk"'s near thunder to the series of clusters of "Sweetwater" to the frenetic "Whatever You Do"; and "Blue One" has the charm of an etude in blue.