The TransAtlantic Collective is a new contemporary jazz ensemble, whose members and collaborators are some of the top emerging artists from New York City, London, and Europe. A gathering of ambitious young musicians, the Collective was formed in order to foster cross-continental collaboration in musical performance, composition, and education.
The Collective was started in late 2005 by Patrick Cornelius (a multi-award-winning New York saxophonist and composer), and London-based American Michael Janisch (a prominent new global voice on the acoustic and electric bass). Both alumni of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, Patrick and Michael founded the Collective as a way to bring musicians from Europe and New York together and spark musical kinship between both sides of the Atlantic. After establishing the project’s mission, the two musicians invited the up-and-coming percussionist and composer Paul Wiltgen (a native of Luxembourg who lives and works both in New York and Europe) to join them as the Collective’s permanent third member. Rounding out the TransAtlantic Collective’s quintet are London trumpeter Quentin Collins (one of the UK’s most sought-after brass virtuosos) and dazzling Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu.
Since 2005, the Collective has also featured the guest talents of guitarist Phil Robson (UK), pianists Jason Rebello (UK), Gwilym Simcock (UK), Dan Tepfer (France), John Escreet (UK), and Andrew MacCormack (UK), trumpeter Avishai Cohen (Israel), percussionist Kendrick Scott (USA), trombonist Nick Vayenas (USA), and tenor saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski (Scotland).
The TransAtlantic Collective's music blends the contemporary sounds of modern progressive jazz and world music with the rich tradition of jazz history (Many examples are available online at the band’s web site). While the ensemble’s current focus is the development and introduction of new original material, it also gives a tip of the hat to the great jazz lexicon through the reinterpretation of classic standards, such as Cole Porter’s “It's All Right with Me”
The Collective's most recent activities include a successful major European tour in the fall of 2008. The band performed at over 38 venues and festivals across England, Scotland, Wales, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, and Estonia. Some notable performances included a concert at the Southbank Centre Purcell Room during the London Jazz Festival, a 3-night residency at Ronnie Scott’s in London, the Bonnington Theater in Nottingham, L’Inoui in Luxembourg, and the Joulu Jazz Festival in Estonia. Staying true to one of its founding missions, The Collective has also presented educational master classes, workshops, and private lessons at many of its tour events, including an artist residency at London’s famed Royal Academy of Music.
In October 2008, The TransAtlantic Collective released their debut album, Traveling Song, on the UK jazz imprint Woodville Records. This impressive debut release contains original music penned by each member of the ensemble, and a labyrinthine re-imagining of Cole Porter’s classic, It’s All Right with Me.
For more information, on this exciting new CD, please visit www.woodvillerecords.com.
For more information on The TransAtlantic Collective, please visit www.thetransatlanticcollective.com
