Album Review:: Plays at the Wrong Time from Haruna Fukazawa

 

Album:  Plays at the Wrong Time
Artist:  Haruna Fukazawa
Label:  Orange Paw Records
Release Date:  July 31, 2026
Website:  www.harunaflute.net

From frolicking jetstreams to gently flowing brooks, flutist Haruna Fukazawa dazzles and enchants audiences with her 2026 recording Plays at the Wrong Time, a collection of original works and jazz standards.  Her playing is customized and lyrical, resembling a glittering waterfall of sparkling tones and harmonic phrasing, producing a lively animation.  Joining Fukazawa along the adventure are soprano saxophonist and fellow flutist Steven Wilson, pianist David DeMotta, bass player Bill Moring, and drummer Steve Johns. 

From the swinging romp of the title track to the improvised sprints of Victor Young's vintage tune "When I Fall in Love," and the smooth classical strut of "Mellow Shadow," Fukazawa's works are multi-faceted, offering audiences a ride that is filled with merriment and pleasing surprises.  "Hot & Spicy, Sometimes Sweet" adds an exotic Latin flavor into the mix, equipped with a rustling samba style shuffle, traveling into the cha-cha gyrations of "Fungii Mama," deepening her affection for the Latin palette.  Fukazawa's sound is distinctive and her playing is one of a kind.  What Mary Lou Williams had been for piano-based jazz, Fukazawa is for flute-oriented swing.

Her relationship with her bandmates is playful and free-spirited while clearly navigating the ensemble along their voyage.  Fukazawa's distinctive playing makes the recording more dynamic than simply background music at a supper club or a poolside cabana.  Her qualities standout, reminiscent of jazz music's luminaries as she infuses her character and instincts for melodic refinement into her music.

Musicians:
Haruna Fukazawa - flute, alto flute
Steve Wilson - soprano saxophone, flute
David DeMotta - piano
Bill Moring - bass
Steve Johns - drums