Yuko Fujiyama String Ensemble

Led by a young Japanese piano player, this trio features the dynamic inventions of Mark Feldman (violin) and Tomas Ulrich (cello). Five out of 12 performances are duos, although only "Switcheroo" lives up to its promise. It's during the chamber trios that this ensemble really shines, notably in performances of Fujiyama's originals from the lush impressionism of "A Southern Island" to the relaxed swing of her strolling blues, "Blue One." Fujiyama's String Ensemble is also an excellent improvising unit, from the micro-tonal cascades of "Improv # 4" to the intensifying dynamics of "T-Free" and the comic "3-Piece Suite," where Feldman's dazzling passages in the mid-section rival the fireworks he creates during "Tag," "Improv # 4" and "Switcheroo."