Tomas Fujiwara: Dream up

Tomas Fujiwara is a Brooklyn-based drummer and composer motivated by  creative curiosity, the visceral power of music, and developing dynamic  relationships with artists of all genres. Best known as a member of New  York's jazz and improvised music scene, his eclectic 30-year career reflects  the full range of the city's cultural palette, including notable ventures into  the worlds of theatre, dance, performance art and film. 

"Whether I'm leading, collaborating or working as a sideman, I want to be a  part of as much music that is meaningful to me as possible," he explains.  "Music is a way of connecting, of finding people who share this common  passion and learning about them through an affinity in sound. I want to  push myself, embrace the unknown, operate on the edge, learn from  mistakes and make them beautiful, constantly learning and growing." 

This commitment to exploration and connection is clear in his vast body of  work, which is highlighted by longstanding musical partnerships with Taylor  Ho Bynum, Mary Halvorson, Tomeka Reid and Matana Roberts as well as  

the collective ensembles Illegal Crowns and Thumbscrew. His deep and  diverse discography includes over 100 recordings as a sideman, co-leader  and founder of his own working groups, 7 Poets Trio, Triple Double, and  Tomas Fujiwara and The Hook Up. 

His new release, Dream Up (Out of Your Head Records), is a suite  commissioned by Roulette/New York Council for the Arts that weaves  together his Global influences with the lineage of percussion ensembles  like Max Roach's M'Boom. He can also be heard performing solo works for  acoustic drum set, playing on the latest recordings from the Amir ElSaffar  Quartet and Adam O'Farrill Octet and touring the world with Halvorson's  Amaryllis sextet, the current Group of the Year in the DownBeat Critics Poll.