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Michael Webster
Tenor Saxophonist and composer Michael Webster manages to reside comfortably in the crease of New-York-style instrumental improvisational music while maintaining an eclecticism and sincerity all his own. The same can be said of Webster as of his contemporaries Dave Douglas and Vijay Iyer – that he is not merely a musician but a facilitator of musical collaborations in whole greater than the sum of their parts and that he truly plays not only the horn, but the band.
A native of Ottawa, Canada, and son of a University of Ottawa music professor and a National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada violist, Webster releases his second solo album, Momentus, this year. His first, Leading Lines, received round praise for its sophisticated take on accessible material. Webster is known for his love of Afro- Latin music and extensive collaborations with some of its most luminary exponents, including William Cepeda, Arturo O’Farrill, and John Benitez, and the influence is audible in Leading Lines. Momentus exhibits elements of Webster’s trademark style, but is notably different, building upon the artist’s experience in the intervening years.
Webster, whose initial move to New York City was made possible by a $20,000 J.B.C Watkins Award from the Canada Council for the Arts, graduated from Manhattan School of Music in 2004. The same year he had begun collaborating with legendary trombonist and percussionist William Cepeda, who recognized Webster’s particular genius for fleshing, transforming, and orchestrating basic melodic kernels, and hired him to arrange for and play saxophone in his band, which toured Puerto Rico in April and May of 2004. In 2009 Cepeda and Webster produced Posesión, a concert length piece for big band and strings adapted from Cepeda’s ideas.
In 2006 Webster released his first solo album, Leading Lines, which featured Grammy-winning bassist John Benitez, and drew heavily on Webster’s Latin Jazz influence. The record showcases nuanced and surprising takes on Webster’s characteristic lyrical melodies, brought to life by a variety of ensembles ranging from duo to nonet and encompassing a range of moods from brash big-band shout choruses to tender string swells. Of Leading Lines, pianist Garry Dial wrote, “the orchestrations are exquisite. The use of strings, woodwinds and brass evokes the genius of Gil Evans and Maria Schneider.”
An ever-expanding portfolio of commissions, including those for American Idol Contestants, Arturo O’Farrill, and the Saint Joseph Symphony Orchestra, propelled Webster’s career. In 2008 O’Farrill’s Grammy-winning Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra commissioned Webster to compose an original work for big band. The resulting work, Mombogro, premiered at New York’s Symphony Space, with Michael conducting.
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"Michael Webster's creations are long, unfurling musical journeys chock full of content. Singable melodies come swathed in a background of advanced, modern harmonies and adventurous, challenging rhythms."
- Peter Hum, The Ottawa Citizen
“Michael Webster has produced a beautiful CD of original music. His ideas as a composer and saxophonist are heartfelt and clear. Keep an eye on him!"
- Chris Potter
—————————————————————————————————— "A beautifully imaginative record."
Primary Instrument
Saxophone, tenor
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Credentials/Background
Taught private lessons for 10 years in saxophone, composition, arranging and Finale. On faculty at the New York Jazz Academy since 2009.
Photos
Music
Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
Momentus
From: MomentusBy Michael Webster
Beam Me Up
From: MomentusBy Michael Webster