Drummer and composer Tomas Fujiwara played two brilliant sets before a sellout crowd at Cornelia Street Cafe on Saturday night. During the first set, which included four new pieces, the leader showcased the impressive talents of band members Mary Halvorson (guitar), Brian Settles (tenor sax), Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), and bassist Adam Hopkins who was subbing for the usual Michael Formanek. Each of the musicians in the ensemble played very well together, while giving each other plenty of space for individual expression and exploration. At the center of the group, Fujiwara maintained a steady presence in his unique way of moving over the drums with flexible fluidity such that his entire drum set seems to form interconnected components of one waterfall of percussive tone and force. Among a number of noteworthy highlights, a sophisticated, understated solo by Finlayson electrified the crowd and kept the audience waiting in anticipation for the second set. During the second half of the show, the band turned to a number of songs from their recent album, The Air is Different, which deal with interrelated themes of family, interconnectedness, and belonging quite appropriate for a night which Fujiwara dedicated to the late Peter Cox, a long-time fan of New York’s creative music scene. Fujiwara’s extended solo in the final piece sent the stunned crowd returning to the warming spring air, revitalized.

Fujiwara next plays with the Greg Ward Quartet at the Jazz Gallery, April 12, and with Josh Sinton’s Ideal Bread at Barbes, April 17.