Fragile is the seventh leader album by the Japanese pianist Junko Onishi, released on September 23, 1998, in Japan. It was re-released on May 4, 1999, by Blue Note Records.[1][2]
In a review for AllMusic, Tim Sheridan wrote: "Onishi gets into a classic rock groove on this disc... Her fervent piano attack in particular keeps the disc consistently interesting."[3]
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings called the album "a fun record for Onishi," but noted that it "sidles into self-indulgence at points."[4]
A reviewer for Billboard stated that, on the album, Onishi "forgoes tradition and lets the fun fly." They commented: "The results are infectious, as the individual tracks open, develop, and eventually burn with enthusiasm."[5]
The Australian Financial Review's Shane Nichols called the music "an interesting dip into the past," and remarked: "It's no secret that Onishi swings; this album proves she rocks too."[6]
A writer for the Orlando Weekly described the album as "a jam-intensive adventure," noting that Onishi "has made a startling leap from sublime acoustic post-bop to sonic terrain largely associated with '70s fusion and contemporary groove-jazz."[7]
Writing for All About Jazz, David Adler stated: "I've never been a fan of the rock cover trend in the jazz world. The concept has sent many a fine jazz CD off the tracks, and it manages nearly to ruin this one entirely."[8] Another AAJ reviewer commented: "Fragile is ironically quite pliable and coarse at times, wielding an oft-unwieldy arsenal of moods and sounds which occasionally (and admittedly) lose their sense of form and function."[9]
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