Further Reading
19th January 2024
This week's Round-Up highlights some forward-thinking jazz from Anna Webber, Shake Stew's global grooves, straight-ahead energy from David Janeway and the Mads Vinding Trio, plus the feathery compositions of Claire Cross & Harry Cook.
Flautist, saxophonist and composer Anna Webber is a central figure in the New York jazz scene and is considered one of the most innovative musicians of the younger generation with a surprising range of activity. Her work has been hailed as "visionary and compelling" in the intersection of avant-garde jazz and new classical music, and her previous albums have ranked at the top of various jazz album best lists (including the NPR Jazz Critics Poll and the New York Times). In 2020 she was voted the best "Rising Star" flautist in the Downbeat Critic's Poll and in the 2023 poll she's listed in 5 seperate categories.
In 2021, she was named a Berlin Prize Fellow and each of her records features musicians at the forefront of the intersecting worlds of improvised music and contemporary classical composition. With Adam O'Farrill, Mariel Roberts, Elias Stemeseder and Lesley Mok, Anna Webber's new band Shimmer Wince brings together the most innovative voices on the American jazz scene. The music for this ensemble explores the applications of Just Intonation in a jazz/improvised context, including its intersections with rhythm and groove. Just Intonation, or JI, is an ancient tuning system based on the natural harmonics and resonances of notes. The result is a stunning album.
