Haruna Plays At Exactly The Right Time

Haruna Plays At Exactly The Right Time

Bruce Von Stiers

Even though the saxophone is my favorite woodwind instrument, I have always been intrigued by flute music. From rockers such as Jethro Tull and the Moody Blues to jazz greats like Eric Dolphy and Herbie Mann, there are so many great examples of flute music.

Another great example of flute music is the new album Plays at the Wrong Time. This album is by flutist Haruna Fukazawa. The album was released on the Orange Paw Records label.

The album has a mix of original compositions and arrangements of some classic songs.

Haruna is a graduate of the prestigious Japanese musical conservatory, Musashino Academia Musicae. She was mentored by Count Basie Orchestra alumni Frank Wess, who in turn encouraged her to come to New York. There Haruna flourished, appearing at major venues and even forming her own quintet. Additionally, she was a Grammy nominee for her work on the album, Shayan, by Charu Suri.

Steve Wilson played soprano saxophone and flute on the album. He's played with Dave Holland, Chick Corea, Ralph Peterson and Terell Stafford. David DeMotta was on piano. He has recorded with Aki Yamamoto and Howard Britz and is a jazz professor at Hunter College. Bill Moring plays bass on the album. He has played for vocalists Mel Torme and Joe Williams and with Clark Terry and Dave Stryker. Steve Johns was the drummer on the album. He's played with Randy Brecker, Stanley Turrentine and Native Soul. Haruna plays both the flute and alto flute on the album.

The title track, Plays at the Wrong Time, is first up on the album. It is a fun, toe-tapping, smile-effecting original composition that showcases Haruna's flute playing.

When I Fall In Love is a great Victor Young song that has been done by musicians such as Blue Mitchell and vocalists far and wide, including Michael Buble, Donny Osmond and Celene Dion. Here the song is given a soft and gentle flute introduction. Then it flows into a peppy, toe-tapping sound with piano highlighting the background behind Haruna's flute. There is also a nice piano solo in the song.

Mellow Shadow begins as a cool Beat type of tune. It moves into a sound that reminds me of the music of a 1950's comedic caper film. The song is one of Haruna's original compositions.

Hot & Spicy, Sometimes Sweet is another song that made me think of a film soundtrack. This time, of the crazy, chaotic, too cool sound of a 1960's James Coburn film. But about halfway through the tone of the song changes to a different beat with a lot of piano backed by bass and drums. And a killer drum solo along with some cool flute round out the song. This too is an original composition from Haruna.

Haruna did a terrific job with her arrangement of the classic Thelonious Monk song, Let's Cool One. Not only is there nice flute, but there is also a great sax solo in the song.

Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most is a standard that has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Dianne Reeves, Bette Midler and even Chaka Khan. Haruna does a real nice job with her arrangement of this Tommy Wolf song.

I mentioned Blue Mitchell earlier. One of his songs, Fungii Mama, shows up on this album. Originally done as a trumpet based piece with a lot of sax, Haruna provides an excellent arrangement with the flute in place of the trumpet. The song also has a great piano solo

The physical CD release of the album has what Haruna calls When I Fall In Love(Alternate Take). The arrangement is somewhat different, so you get a slightly different tone to the song.

I mentioned earlier about being intrigued by flute music. This album, Plays at the Wrong Time, only enhances that feeling. Haruna Fukazawa provides fantastic arrangements of great songs, and the original compositions are terrific.

Plays at the Wrong Time is available for streaming on all of the major platforms. If you are interested in the CD release that has the alternate take of When I fall In Love, it can be ordered from Haruna's website at https://www.harunaflute.net/ . There you will find additional information about Haruna and her music.

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