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Jazz Articles about Anna Webber
David Sanford Big Band feat. Hugh Ragin: A Prayer for Lester Bowie
by Angelo Leonardi
La variopinta composizione di Hugh Ragin dedicata a Lester Bowie dà il titolo al nuovo album di David Sanford ma non ne esaurisce gli intenti. Il premiato compositore, bandleader e didatta di Pittsburgh aggiunge infatti sette suoi nuovi brani, confermando fantasiosa padronanza del disegno orchestrale in equilibrio tra linguaggio contemporaneo e tradizione. I brani del disco sono stati incisi nel 2016 e vedono la luce solo ora grazie all'etichetta Greenleaf di Dave Douglas. L'incisione è stata effettuata ...
Continue ReadingGabriel Zucker: Leftover Beats from the Edges of Time
by Vic Albani
Gabriel Zucker è un pianista, compositore e polistrumentista di New York il cui lavoro combina composizioni massimaliste con l'improvvisazione progressiva della scena musicale creativa contemporanea di New York. La sua musica ha ricevuto due importanti premi per la composizione e viene sempre più spesso citata con il massimo delle stelle su DownBeat. Il progetto principale di Zucker, l'orchestra indie jazz “The Delegation," è nato al Banff Jazz and Creative Music Workshop. Il suo ultimo lavoro, Leftover Beats from ...
Continue ReadingAnna Webber: Idiom
by Hrayr Attarian
Award winning composer, saxophonist and flautist Anna Webber is a restless innovator and musical individualist. Her ninth release as a leader, the sublime and magnificent two-disc Idiom is an ambitious project which Webber pulls off brilliantly and with elegance. Five compositions from the “Idiom" series are represented here. Four are in a sparse trio setting while “Idiom VI," which fills the entire second disc, is with a large ensemble. Another one, “Idiom II," (not included here) appeared on Webber's Clockwise ...
Continue ReadingAnna Weber, The Resonators & Anthony Joseph
by Maurice Hogue
Two products of the jazz program at McGill University in Montreal have new releases to sample this week: saxophonist and composer Anna Webber's Idiom is easily her most ambitious project to date featuring her Simple Trio (Matt Mitchell and John Hollenbeck) and a large ensemble of improvisers and new music specialists. Drummer Mark Nelson continues to develop interesting music with his quartet, Sympathetic Frequencies. You'll hear contrasting trumpets from Pete Rodriguez and Argentina's Joaquin Muro, sizzling music from Frank Gratkowski ...
Continue ReadingAnna Webber: Idiom
by Mark Corroto
Is Idiom, from composer, saxophonist, and flutist Anna Webber, new classical music or jazz? Yes. Is the music scored or improvised? Again, yes. Last question: Is it demanding or easy on the ears? Both. On the heels of two stellar releases, the septet Clockwise (Pi Recordings, 2019) and the Webber/Morris Big Band recording Both Are True (Greenleaf Music, 2020), Webber was commissioned to present Idiom VI at John Zorn's Stone series. She expanded the material from one track heard on ...
Continue ReadingRaf Vertessen Quartet: LOI
by John Sharpe
Belgian drummer Raf Vertessen's quartet unites a mouth-watering array of talent, and he keeps them busy on his leadership debut LOI. Since arriving in Brooklyn, in 2016, Vertessen has dug in deep, enlisting saxophonist Anna Webber, trumpeter Adam O'Farrill and bassist Nick Dunston, all acclaimed leaders in their own right, to realize his charts in a way which allows them full expression while at the same time respecting compositional boundaries drawn largely from the free jazz vernacular. ...
Continue ReadingJacob Garchik: Clear Line
by Dan Bilawsky
As strange as it may sound, sometimes the best way to break free is to simply box yourself in. Limitations obviously cut off certain possibilities entirely, but they open the mind to so many others in the process. Composer (and trombonist) Jacob Garchik has long subscribed to that line of thinking and he takes it to bold heights on this, the most original, least derivative big band recording to arrive in ages. Basically throwing out the rule ...
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