Milo Songs
MILO SONGS features ANNE METTE IVERSEN (bass, compositions), JOHN ELLIS (tenor saxophone & clarinet), OTIS BROWN III (drums & cymbals) + DANNY GRISSETT (piano)
“Iversen’s intelligent writing style organically balances intricate, through-composed ensemble playing and wide-open improvisation in a chamberjazz aesthetic . . . this sharp outfit is definitely one to check out.” – Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes
On May 24, Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records will release the latest burst of creativity and beauty from the fertile and imaginative mind of bassist/composer Anne Mette Iversen; with a little help from her young son, Milo. All of the music on Anne Mette Iversen Quartet – Milo Songs, grew from a little melody that Milo made up when he was two, which can be found in all of the compositions on this album. The music reflects on, and pays tribute to, a child’s world, through the exploration of his experiences and perspective. Each composition aims to tell stories about the life of a child, such as the turbulence of a new sibling in the home, the ability to exclude the world around you, the intense focus on something seemingly unimportant to others, the fantasy world, the stubbornness, the strong will and fight for ideas and wants, the dreams shared with mom in the morning, and so forth.
During the recording and completion of the album, Milo Songs also became an affirmation and celebration of successfully juggling motherhood with the demands of being a professional jazz musician. Iversen explains further, “When I went to The New School many teachers would say to me, don't have kids if you want to be a musician. It always bothered me a bit and the idea that it would not be possible to have a family and be a professional musician at the same time was provoking to me. On top of that - this was being said to me in a country where the general idea is that one can do whatever one wants if you work hard enough at it. So, in some ways, Milo Songs is a reaction to that statement, and my way of proving that, of course, it can be done! And, for me personally, there's no doubt that my family and my music feed off each other and inspire each other; they are interdependent and my music wouldn't live without the other side: the family.”
The Anne Mette Iversen Quartet, featuring John Ellis (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Otis Brown III (drums, cymbals) and Danny Grissett (piano), has gained a reputation for their consistently engaging live performances, and for being true to jazz music in spirit, feeling and originality. They do not necessarily “play” the music; this band speaks through the music, they live the music. Because the musicians know each other so well, having played together for more than seven years, they have developed an intuitive understanding of each others' musical language and personality, and are able to let the music grow and take off in new directions every night. The Quartet has toured in the US and Europe and performed at esteemed jazz venues and major European Festivals, such as the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Aarhus International Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Fasching in Stockholm, A-Train in Berlin, An Die Musik in Baltimore, and many others. They have performed live on WNYC’s Soundcheck, and their recording of “West” was selected as Song of the Day by NPR Music in May, 2008.
Anne Mette’s previous recording, the double-disc Best of the West/Many Places, was unanimously praised, with the Rochester City Paper stating that the music is, absolutely electrifying . . . adventurous tunes with plenty of room for superb solos, and NPR commenting that, Few other arrangers can deter schmaltz when putting strings to swing. And even fewer possess her sense for dulcet harmonies and exquisitely developed form. Rarer still is the mind that could put it all together in a way that proclaims itself as the work of an improvising musician. Beauty may be hard to find in jazz, but as Iversen proves, that doesn't mean it's dormant in familiar elements, waiting to be expressed. JazzTimes Magazine stated that, Anne Mette Iversen shows a masterful reach across jazz and classical music in "Best of the West" . . . Leaving the strings behind for the second disc, Iversen's group alternates between forceful postbop themes, aching ballads and darting, slippery grooves, and Allmusic.com was equally emphatic, saying that, Both discs are a creative success, and both are enjoyable demonstrations of what Iversen has to offer as an acoustic bassist, composer, producer and arranger.
Best of the West + Many Places
Anne Mette Iversen Quartet & the string quartet 4Corners: "Best of the West"
A jazz-suite for double-quartet; "Best of the West" is written by Anne Mette Iversen for her jazz quartet, the Anne Mette Iversen Quartet and the string quartet 4Corners.
Musically “Best of the West” is inspired/has grown out of Ms. Iversen's background in both jazz and classical music, and aims to bring together these two; maybe the two most profound/sophisticated music traditions of western culture.
"Best of the West" is, so far, the pinnacle of Ms. Iversen's compositional writings, as it succeds in bringing together jazz and classical music on equal terms. The piece is written in 4 movements like a classical symphony, and the musical union happens as each movement is based on a traditional classical form, being: "EAST" - Allegro (medium/up), "SOUTH" - Adagio (slow), "WEST" - Menuet (waltz), "NORTH" - Presto (fast). The musical content is derived mainly from the jazz language, although there are times within the suite, where the writing, particularly for the strings, is best described as contemporary classical music.
The piece expresses variety in feeling and emotion that bring into attention the multifaceted world we live in; i.e. a world which requires open-mindedness and focus on communication between cultures as a central ingredient in our lives.
This theme is underlined in the music particularly in that the string-quartet and the jazz-quartet maintain their identity and individuality throughout the piece. Unlike most meetings of jazz and classical music, where one style performs a subservient role, or both styles are diluted beyond recognition, "Best of the West" manages to present each group and style at it's most compelling, and this way, in purely musical terms; it illustrates the beauty of concepts such as interaction, conversation, dialog and mutual support.
Anne Mette Iversen Quartet: "Many Places"
Anne Mette Iversen Quartet has made three records together and toured once a year in Europe the past three years. "Many Places" compiles music from various periods of these three years, and on this recording the quartet has matured into one unit, one voice, one identity; speaking in the musical language of Anne Mette Iversen, but flavored with the individual voices of each band member.
There are no overall programmatic idea to the album "Many Places", but rather different personal stories behind each tune.
"Many Places" toys with the theme that one can settle down many places, i.e. anywhere, and create an "at home" feeling; because man can adopt to any situation as long as one stays true to oneself and one's own needs. "2004" is simply a description of a certain swinging moment; "Milo Man" is a reflection and an ode to Anne Mette's first born son; and "Out the Atlantic" is saying goodbye to life on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. "Pjerrot's Smile" is the comic teasing figure that will run around iin circles with you; and "Sambavian" is an "attempt gone off track" to express Anne Mette's love for Brazilian music. The three tunes "Cataldo One", "Cataldo Ballad" and "The Square in Ravello" are all composed during an artist residency on the Amalfi Coast in Italy in 2006. They are respectively 1) trying to catch the hectic New York atmosphere from afar, 2) capturing the beauty of the Amalfi Coast, and 3) watching the children in play on the center square in front of the church in Ravello.
Press about "Best of the West + Many Places"
"Bassist/composer Anne Mette Iversen shows a masterful reach across jazz and classical music in "Best of the West", the sumptuous suite that opens this two-disc set." ... "Iversen merges her own inventive quartet with the string ensemble 4Corners in a beautiful, shape-shifting pas de deux, each half of the double-quartet twining about the other in a breathtaking dialogue. Leaving the strings behind for the second disc, Iversen's group alternates between forecful postbop themes, aching ballads and darting, slippery grooves." - Forest Dylan Bryant, JazzTimes, Aug '08
"Few other arrangers can deter schmaltz when putting strings to swing. And even fewer possess her sense for dulcet harmonies and exquisitely developed form — the patient listener is rewarded with a probing, big-R Romantic, strings-only cadenza at the end. Rarer still is the mind that could put it all together in a way that proclaims itself as the work of an improvising musician. Beauty may be hard to find in jazz, but as Iversen proves, that doesn't mean it's dormant in familiar elements, waiting to be expressed." - Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR Music, May '08
"While all of the double quartet compositions are excellent, "North (Presto)" is absolutely electrifying. In place of a catchy jazz head, a la Art Blakey, Iversen offers a frenetic Bartok-like unison string riff, ornately framing the jazz band's passages. The second disc, "Many Places", showcases the talents of John Ellis (saxophones), Danny Grissett (piano), and Otis Brown III (drums) on nine adventurous tunes with plenty of room for superb solos." - Ron Netsky, Rochester City Newspaper, July '08
"Bursting with creativity" ... "A nice ear-opener for fans looking for a challenging, new composer." - Chris Spector, Midwest Records
"Both discs area a creative succes, and both are enjoyable demonstrations of what Iversen has to offer an as acoustic bassist, composer, producer and arranger." - Alex Henderson, allmusic.com
"An intelligent blend of classical and jazz componenets" ... "This music has tension and resolution, has complex melodies that don't just serve as springboard for solos." - Richard Kamins, Hartford Courant, March '08
"By turns rhapsodic and pulsing, it's a most impressive package." - Paul Blair, Hot House, May '08
"This double album is particularly fascinating. Cd one is devoted to a four-movement symphony for double qyúartet. Now there have been umpteen instances of "jazzing the classics" dating back to Paul Whiteman in 1928 and most have been unsuccessful musical compromises. Anne Mette Iversen's venture is definitely an exception...The standard of improvisation is remarkably good throughout. A very pleasant double surprise." - JazzWise, UK, Aug '08
"The music is "tough" and melodic and reminds me of the superb quartet Eastern Rebellion with George Coleman, Billy Higgins, Sam Jones and Cedar Walton"..."Best of the West + Many Places beautifully paints the picture of whom Anne Mette Iversen is, anno 2008." - Jazznytt, Norway, Dec '08
Reviews of Anne Mette Iversen Quartet have been great:
Concert review, JazzTimes Magazine Jan '08, by Bill Milkowski. Smalls Jazz Club, NYC.
- "A classically trained pianist, Iversen's intelligent writing style organically balances intricate, through-composed ensemble playing and wide-open improvisation in a compelling chamberjazz aesthetic."
- "This sharp outfit is definitely one to check out".
Concert review, Dresdener Neueste Nachrichten Oct '07, by Beate Baum, from Blue Note in Dresden.
- "...what one is experiencing...is a world-class music-evening that one don't get many opportuneties to experience. Listening to compositions, in which the whole American and Western European harmonic repertoire meet; where so much charm and intelligence is found, that you, the listener, is continously challenged. And where the rhythms, the feel and the bouncy swing call for smiles on your lip and twitches in your leg. Because, this music is not only presented by four professional and highly competent musicians; it is also performed with that understatement, that stage-experience and that talent for improvisation, that the jazzers command. The English language has a word for it, which describes it very accurately: sophisticated."
- "It is music in it's purest kind."
CD review of "This Is My House" in Jazzreview.com, Jan 07, by John Barron.
- "...Brooklyn-based bassist/composer Anne Mette Iversen delivers a stunning collection of original progressive jazz, bursting with lively melodies, intricate ensemble interplay and high-flying improvisations. With the aid of tenor saxophonist John Ellis, pianist Danny Grissett and drummer Otis Brown III, Iversen’s music negotiates an exquisite balance between seriousness and unbridled joy. There is an overriding spirit of optimism that pervades the entire session."
- "As a composer Iversen carves out an emotive landscape with sophistication and an abundance of
melody."
- "The tight ensemble sound is one of a true quartet of collaborators who are able to anticipate each
other’s every move."
CD review of "This Is My House" in All About Jazz, NYC, Jan 07, by Elliot Simon.
- "...she artfully blends classical European training with deliciously palpable arrangements of original music for a beautifully textured experience."
- "...Iversen adeptly leads things through a myriad of colors with precision and creativity."
Anne Mette Iversen Quartet is:
John Ellis - saxophones
Danny Grissett - piano
Otis Brown III - drums
Anne Mette Iversen - bass&composition
www.annemetteiversen.com & www.myspace.com/annemetteiversen
4Corners string quartet is:
Tine Rudloff - violin
Sarah McClelland Jacobsen - violin
Anne Lindeskov - viola
Mats Larsson - cello
www.4corners.dk |
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BJUR 024
Anne Mette Iversen
Milo Songs
BJUR 019
Anne Mette Iversen
On the Other Side/På den anden side
Digital Only
$10
BJUR 018
Anne Mette Iversen
This is my house
Digital Only
$10
BJUR002
Anne Mette Iversen
Best of the West + Many Places
Links
Anne Mette Iversen's Website
Follow Anne Mette Iversen on Twitter
AM Iversen on Facebook
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