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Lotte Anker

Lotte Anker was born 1958 in Copenhagen. As a child and young she studied classical piano but took up the saxophone and improvised music in 1980, primarily influenced through the music of John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter but also the more experimental jazzscene in Scandinavia at that time.

She has studied music at the Copenhagen University from 1980-84 and par-ticipated in several courses and workshops lead by e.g.: Joe Henderson, David Liebman, John Tchicai, Marilyn Mazur, David Murray.

As a composer she is mostly selftaught but has a degree in composition from Rhytmic Conservatory, Cph. Compositionclass led by Bob Brookmeyer as well as danish contemporary composers such as Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgren, Svend Hvidtfeldt-Nielsen, Hans Abrahamsen.

Lotte Anker has played in various danish/scandinavian groups e.g.: Marilyn Mazurs “Primi Band" ,Two Bass-Hit, Saxmachine (saxophonequartet), Jazzgroup 90, Art-Out, Marilyn Mazurs “Summerquartet” etc. She has also participated in a lot of different projects as “New Music Orchestra”, Pierre Dorges "SubwayMusic”, Barry Guy +Av-Art Orchestra, Composers Biennale 96, NUMUS Festival 97, Toneart Composers Biennale 2000 + projectconcerts/tours with Peter Brotzman, Miya Masaoka, Thomas Lehn, Per Jørgensen, Michael Formanek, Tim Berne, Marc Ducret, Dylan van der Schyff , Paal Nilssen-Love, Herb Robertson, Arve Henriksen, Anders Jormin, Andrew Cyrille etc

As a composer and saxophoneplayer she has worked with both theatre and dance- theatre: “Kaspar Hauser” with Jorge Holguin Dancetheatre, “Transient Minds” with Ricketts Dance Co., and “Roberto Zucco” at The Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, “Up against the Wall” w. various dancers/performers and Copenhagen Art Ensemble at The Other Opera.

In 1988 she formed her own quartet with pianoplayer Mette Petersen:Lotte Anker/Mette Petersen Quartet. In 92 the quartet transformed into a quintet with norwegian trumpetplayer Nils-Petter Molvær. In 95 she became a member of the free improvising trio ”Anker, Friis, Poulsen” (with Hasse Poulsen, guitar and Peter Friis-Nielsen: bass)

Since '96 she- together with tromboneplayer Ture Larsen- has been co-leader of the 12-piece orchestra ”Copenhagen Art Ensemble”. Cph. Art Ensemble is performing new music and besides playing new danish music, the band has done projects/tours with e.g.: Tim Berne, Django Bates, John Tchicai, The Zapolski Quartet, Mats Gustafsson.

In '97 Lotte Anker formed a trio with Marilyn Crispell and Marilyn Mazur: The trio (+ duo w/ M. Crispell) has during the last years performed at clubs and festivals in Scandinavia, Germany, France, Spain,Slovenia, Morocco, USA and Canada, With Marilyn Crispell she has also toured with the quartet Sine Die (w/ Anders Jormin + Arve Henriksen).

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7
Album Review

Ivo Perelman: Reed Rapture in Brooklyn

Read "Reed Rapture in Brooklyn" reviewed by Jeff Schwartz


Is this album fundamentally unreviewable? Are there jazz fans who do not immediately know if they need an 11-hour collection of 103 improvised duets between Ivo Perelman and a dozen saxophonists and clarinetists? It is at least describable. Perelman is faithful to his tenor, while his partners bring examples of nearly every type of saxophone, from soprillo to contrabass, as well as most of the clarinet family. Although all tracks are free improvisations, the default mode is ...

8
Album Review

Ivo Perelman: Reed Rapture in Brooklyn

Read "Reed Rapture in Brooklyn" reviewed by Mark Corroto


"Let's play two," the famous line by the Cubs Hall-of-Fame baseball player Ernie Banks in 1969, uttered when the temperature in Chicago had reached 105 degrees (40.5 celsius) and his teammates were exhausted, might find its analogy with this massive undertaking from saxophonist Ivo Perelman. At eleven hours in length though, the two games Banks cited are not single games, but more like two double-headers here. Like the baseball infielder, Perelman has limitless energy and a never-ending appetite for creativity, ...

9
Liner Notes

Reed Rapture In Brooklyn: A Box Set Of Woodwind Duets With Ivo Perelman

Read "Reed Rapture In Brooklyn: A Box Set Of Woodwind Duets With Ivo Perelman" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


One of the 20th century's musical geniuses, saxophonist Charlie Parker said “Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you that music has boundaries. But, man, there's no boundary line to art." This statement on unbridled creativity applies perfectly to saxophonist Ivo Perelman's oeuvre. Perelman, however, is not just a saxophonist. Although the tenor is one of his favorite tools of expression, he is an ...

108
Album Review

Lotte Anker: Plodi

Read "Plodi" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker and Slovenian drummer Zlatko Kaucic possess extensive resumes so to speak. With a long list of affiliations, including disparate undertakings as leaders and collaborators, the respective artists are prominent exponents of the European progressive jazz / improvisation realm. The program begins with Anker performing solo on three tracks at St. Martin's church in Smartno, Slovenia, highlighting her improvisational expertise and multi-purposed strategy. On “Odmevi 1--Odmevi 3" Anker works through a gamut of emotive outpourings ...

Album Review

Lotte Anker: What River Is This

Read "What River Is This" reviewed by Giuseppe Segala


What River Is This, si chiede la sassofonista danese Lotte Anker, che abbiamo apprezzato in precedenza nel rodato trio con Craig Taborn e Gerald Cleaver (formato ormai più di dieci anni fa), ma anche in duo con Fred Frith e in trio con Ikue Mori e con Sylvie Courvoisier. “Che fiume è questo" ("Qué río es éste") è un verso dal poema di Jorge Luis Borges “Eraclito" (da Elogio dell'ombra), dove si evocano il crepuscolo, la notte, il sogno. Proprio ...

1
Album Review

Lotte Anker/ Rodrigo Pinhero/ Hernâni Faustino: Birthmark

Read "Birthmark" reviewed by Mark Corroto


After releasing a trio of stellar recordings with pianist Craig Taborn, and drummer Gerald Cleaver, the last being Floating Islands (ILK, 2009), Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker returns with a new trio. She teams up with the Portuguese players Rodrigo Pinhero (piano) and Hernâni Faustino (double bass), best known as members of RED Trio with drummer Gabriel Ferrandini. Like her American trio, this encounter is marked as an interactive improvisational session. A very cooperative session. Much, no, all of ...

353
Album Review

Lotte Anker / Sylvie Courvoisier / Ikue Mori: Alien Huddle

Read "Alien Huddle" reviewed by Ted Gordon


On the face of it, Alien Huddle may seem like another notch on the belt for three well-seasoned veterans of experimental improvised music--each with her own language, capturing their collaboration and conversation in the studio, rather than in a club. Yet the experience of listening to this album proves that the meeting of these three musicians is more than chance, more than a mere session: it is a combination that works exceedingly well, an alchemic formula that smelts gold out ...

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Music Industry

Jazz this week: Jeff Lorber Fusion, Lotte Anker & Okkyung Lee, and more

Jazz this week: Jeff Lorber Fusion, Lotte Anker & Okkyung Lee, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week's jazz and creative music offerings in St. Louis run the gamut from fusion to free improvisation, with plenty of mainstream sounds as well. Let's go to the highlights...  Wednesday, February 18 Keyboardist Jeff Lorber and the latest iteration of his Fusion group featuring bassist Jimmy Haslip and saxophonist Eric Marienthal (pictured, top left) will begin a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. You can see a video preview of the performances here, and Lorber, ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Dan Hicks, John Clayton and Gerald Clayton, Lotte Anker Trio, Danny Fox, and More

Jazz This Week: Dan Hicks, John Clayton and Gerald Clayton, Lotte Anker Trio, Danny Fox, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

With a bit of spring in the air this week in St. Louis, there's also plenty of live jazz and creative music happening around town to get out and enjoy over the next few days. Let's go to the highlights... Tonight, singer-guitarist Dan Hicks returns to the St. Louis area for a performance at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville.  Hicks' mix of Gyspy jazz, swing, country, blues and folk has been entertaining audiences for nearly fifty years now, and continue ...

Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Lotte Anker

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Lotte Anker

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week, our video spotlight shines on Danish saxophonist and composer Lotte Anker, who will be making her St. Louis debut Thursday, March 14 in a concert presented by New Music Circle at 560 Music Center. Though Anker seems to be known in this country more as a improvisor, in Denmark she also has composed music incorporating jazz and contemporary classical influences for a variety of groups and projects. Anker works most frequently in Europe, and collaborates with a number ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Reed Rapture in...

Mahakala Music
2022

buy

Plodi

SAZAS
2017

buy

Birthmark

Clean Feed Records
2013

buy

Floating Islands

ILK Music
2010

buy

Videos

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