Selected Reviews

“The results are mighty impressive, songs replete with rich melody lines and instrumental work that mine classical, popular and jazz musics…Chie Sato Roden & Fire in July are bringing the work of Alex North to a 21st-Century audience in a way that not only pays great respect but, along with the original works of Jody Redhage and Alan Ferber, also give Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” a new set of viable musical interpretations.”
-Richard B. Kamins, Step Tempest, 2011

“Pianist Chie Sato Roden pours her passion into Streetcar Journey…”
-Time Out New York, 2011

“The way Roden and the band play the original material makes something substantial out of it, frees it from the film to stand on its own as music that tells a story with the indeterminate meaning and deep, passionate expression that music does best.”
– George Grella, The Big City, review of the “Streetcar Journey” CD.

“Miss Roden played as if she cherished every note of this music. Her technique – especially her control of dynamics – was impressive”
– Bernard Holland, The New York Times

“Roden’s performance, pushes contemporary music beyond the confines of a restricted genre. Moreover, in her performance, she resists all temptations for unnecessary showmanship or false pretense. That made the performance especially refreshing.”
– Yuji Numata, Ex Musica

“Chie Sato Roden, a Japanese pianist who specializes in 20th-century American and Japanese works, proved an energetic, compelling advocate for her trans-Pacific repertory”
– Allan Kozinn, The New York Times