Zodiac
From
Suitcase Records
★★★★
Zodiac is a Sydney-based jazz quartet that fuses eclectic musical influences with heartfelt storytelling. Named 2MBS Fine Music Sydney’s 2023 Jazz Artist-in-Residence, they’ve since flourished, captivating audiences and evolving their distinctive, genre-blending sound. Their new album, From, explores the question second-generation immigrants often face: ‘Where are you from?’
For Zodiac’s members, raised in Australia with deep Asian cultural roots, this question fuels a reflective and emotional journey. Rather than resisting their dual identities the members of the band embrace and celebrate them. The result is a rich, expressive album that weaves together jazz tradition and multicultural perspectives.
Blending sharp musicianship with intuitive interplay, the ensemble shows both restraint and fire, moving as one, yet allowing each member room to breathe. The track ‘Homecoming’ feels like Zodiac’s manifesto. Its gradually building structure, marked by a patient crescendo, is both an emotional and a technical triumph. Here, Zodiac displays its collective maturity, with each note given space, and silence used with intention. The result is a composition that speaks not only of return but of discovery and evolution.
‘Who Needs Enemies’ shifts the mood with an infectious energy. Saxophonist Hinano Fujisaki shines with spirited phrasing and bold tonal control, while drummer Manson Luk delivers grooves that snap and dance around the melody. Sabine Tapia’s double bass playing grounds the tune with warmth and elasticity, propelling the rhythm while adding melodic depth. Their interplay radiates joy and camaraderie, a reminder that jazz, at its core, is a conversation. Pianist Jordan Chung acts as a quiet leader throughout, offering harmonic clarity and guiding transitions that lift the entire band to expressive peaks.
‘To Eat with Your Friends’ is a standout in tone and emotion. A soulful, laid-back number, it conjures the spirit of classic soul-jazz, even evoking the smooth, warm presence of sax legend Plas Johnson (most widely known as the saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s ‘The Pink Panther Theme’). Fujisaki’s sax playing here is especially evocative, lyrical, conversational and emotionally rich, while the rest of the band moves with subtle confidence, allowing the tune to feel both timeless and personal.
Zodiac proves they it is a true ensemble with something vital to say, and the musical language to say it beautifully.
Reviewed by Xavier Bichon