Alien Huddle in Baltimore!

by Anthony Medici in Concert Reviews, Musician Reviews, Reviews

Quick, name a top female saxophone player.   Quick, name a female tenor sax player in the free jazz, creative improvised music arena.  If nothing immediately leaps to mind, don’t feel too bad; unfortunately, it’s really not a crowded category.  I’m not sure what the reasons are for that state of affairs.  But it did add a bit of an edge to my interest to check out Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker, performing with Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, and Japanese electronics improviser Ikue Mori, the latter two now based in New York, while Anker remains based in her native Copenhagen.  I caught them this past Saturday at An Die Musik in Baltimore, last stop on their U.S. tour behind the release of their new CD, Alien Huddle.  Previous stops included Noo Yawk and Philly, and I had heard good reports on the show.  I was not disaapointed; in fact, the show continues to resonate with me.

I had picked up on Courvoisier from her playing with one of my current faves, Ellery Eskelin.  In performance, she demonstrated considerable inventiveness, admirable control, and an almost classical keyboard intonation (even when she was plucking or hitting the piano strings with a soft mallet).  I could see her throwing down a Chopin or Liszt sonata if called upon to do so.  She’s really a wonderful pianist.

I find myself reverting at times to the rather reactionary notion that if you can’t play it without electricity, it’s really not a musical instrument.  Of course, that’s pretty simplistic.  I do think electronic improvisation is an acquired taste, like beets.  I acquired a bit of that taste during Mori’s performance.  Half the time I found it enthralling, full of depth and suggestive sonic textures.  At those times, the electronics was integrated into the group improv and incorporated and extended the role of a virtual “rhythm section.”  Other times, it seemed disconnected from the group performance and remained a sort of sonic wallpaper.  Anker told me after the show that the electronics was a bit disadvantaged by the acoustic (or lack thereof) of the room.  Nevertheless, I went in skeptical of the electronic aspect and came out at least a partial believer; indeed, it really opened up the performance in ways I found interesting and challenging.  I’m still not eating beets though.

Anker played on soprano, alto and tenor sax.  On the first two, she demonstrated a full, clean tone.  I particularly enjoyed her soprano playing.  On tenor, she possessed a strong, compact tone.  Like Courvoisier, she also played with intelligence, control, and a focused intensity.  This was a sax player clearly committed to her art and craft. 

There was one odd moment in the show, towards the end, where Courvoisier was wrapping up a solo; when Anker, who had alyed out, looked over for a indication to come back in, Courvoisier signaled the piece was at an end, “no more” she seemed to say.  Anker looked clearly surprised, then laughed a bit and the piece was over.    Not sure what that was about.  Maybe Courvoisier was following that dictum, too often ignored, that if you have nothing (more) to say, stop speaking (or playing).  Or maybe something in the performance bothered her.  A curious interlude.

The group played one more piece, Courvoisier sitting out the first part (still bugged?), then eventually coming back in briefly but effectively. 

It was a fine show full of interesting ideas, excellent playing, and challenging concepts.  I hope Anker will maker her way back to these shores for future gigs.  Now when you are asked about women sax players, you can cite Lotte Anker.  I would like to see that list grow longer.