🎹Searching for the Lush Life with Fujii Kaze in Harlem, New York
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This past week marks the 6th anniversary of my very first visit to New York City. I planned my flight to JFK International Airport just as I did in 2018: departing on the last day of May, embarking on a red-eye flight around midnight, and waking up to the view of Manhattan on the first morning of June.
Revisiting this megacity is always exciting. Unlike previous trips where I felt sentimental, nostalgic, and regretful about leaving New York City for San Francisco during the pandemic, this time I felt calm and at ease. Walking down the streets of Manhattan was as natural as breathing. After all, it is an ever-present city that will always bustle with a million things to do on any given day. I am at peace with myself this time, knowing I am always just one simple flight ticket away from her.
A primary goal of this trip was to attend the first U.S. concert of Fujii Kaze, an extremely talented musician from Japan. His works are known for their unique blend of Pop, R&B, and Jazz, and I was thrilled to see him in person in my favorite city on earth.
Taking the rush hour express train from Columbus Circle to Harlem, I arrived at the historic Apollo Theatre, where Jazz giants such as Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington once performed. The moment Fujii Kaze took the stage and began his set by surprising the audience with the jazz standard “Lush Life,” I felt an immediate soulful connection. This song has always evoked vivid images of New York jazz lounges, smoky Manhattan nights, and the timeless allure of the city’s vibrant music scene. It has been one of my all-time favorites and holds a special place in my heart whenever I think of New York.
My journey with “Lush Life” began when I was a teenager. I still remember the first time I listened to this song, thinking it must have been written by someone who had lived a long and storied life, probably over 90 years old. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Billy Strayhorn, the composer of this hauntingly beautiful tune, was only 19 years old when he completed it. Billy’s sensitivity in capturing the essence of love, loss, regret, and the passage of time at such a young age left a lasting impression on me. This impression grew even stronger after I learned about his untimely passing, making the song seem like a lament of his own fate.
When I moved to New York City for graduate school in 2019, I felt like I was on a quest to demystify the type of lush life that Billy Strayhorn described, whether it referred to a state of mind, an unobtainable lifestyle, or the transient nature of being.
For these reasons, I decided to include “Lush Life” in the set list for my own concert, BEFORE DUSK, held in San Francisco in May 2024. That’s why it felt incredibly special to hear it performed live by Fujii Kaze in the very city that inspired me so much with its magic, merely two weeks after my own concert.
As Kaze’s fingers danced across the piano keys, bringing this classic to life, it felt as though the universe was weaving our musical journeys together, adding another layer of significance to the experience. The intricate piano solos and his emotive delivery resonated deeply with me, and I gained even more admiration for this artist who can showcase his deep appreciation and understanding of jazz, to the extent that he chose this song as a tribute to all the great musicians of jazz and to the City of New York.
Taking the train back to Midtown Manhattan, looking up at the skyscrapers, and reflecting on this magical encounter, I’m filled with gratitude for the shared moments that bind us together. The universe’s coincidences, like Fujii Kaze performing “Lush Life” just after I did, serve as gentle reminders of the interconnectedness of our human experiences. They also speak to the indescribable magic of the frequency and energy embedded within music, which can easily transcend time and space.
After all, we can still curate beautiful moments and celebrate life without living that lush life. Music, in its profound simplicity, has the power to connect us across distances and generations, reminding us that the true essence of a lush life is found in the meaningful experiences we create and share.
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