Updated: August 16, 2020
Born: February 19, 1950
I have been involved with the arts for most of my life. I began studying the alto sax at the age of 14 in middle school and have been playing/ studying in varying capacities since.
After periodic explorations of drama, poetry, architecture, visual art, a B.F.A. and an M.F.A. and a stint in Europe, I arrived in NYC in 1989 with my family and an alto sax.
In the past 18 years I have been actively involved with the NYC Improv Scene: Amica Bunker, the Improvisers Collective and most recently the C.O.M.A. series at ABC No-Rio recent as in the past 10 years As a composer I have incorporated traditional musical scoring techniques with visual/graphical and performance oriented presentations and a simple philosophy- sound and vision are inter-related in life and art resulting in communication.
Although primarily an alto saxophonist I play a number of reed, flute, percussion and string instruments at varying degrees of competency per composition requirements and recently began including computer altered sound files in performance as background for improvisation.
Currently my instruments of choice are: Alto, Tenor & Soprano Saxophones; Bb Clarinet, Eb Alto Cl & Bb Bass Clarinet.
This has resulted in my performing and collaborating with an extreme variety of types of improvised music including:
Guitarist Sten Hostfalt, Doug Walker's Alien Planetscapes, Cecil Taylor's Ptonagas; William Hooker's Ensembles, Judy Dunaway's Balloon Trio; Rowe Siwula Miano Trio, Dialing Privileges Trio w. Dom Minasi & John Bollinger; BCJ Trio with Chris Welcome & John McCellan, A + B2 with Robert Marsh; Market Street Jazz w. Ken Simon, Hal Onserud, Karen Borca & Jackson Krall; Dagaz Trio w. William Parker & Michael Evans; BE Duet w. Evan Gallagher, Tan Dun; Katsuyuki Itakura, Michael Khoury, The Improvisors Collective (NYC); Glass Factory w. Donald Miller, Duet with Ravi Padmanabha; The B & B Duet w. Bob Meyer, Erie Nites w. Robyn Siwula; HSM w. Gary Hassay & Toshi Makihara, Trio with Eyal Maoz & Dale Miller; The Jeff Platz Ensemble, Joseph Scianni, Jeffrey Hayden Shurdut; Music in the Foreground w. Ge-Suk Yeo; the Slam trio w. Adam Lane & Toshi Makihara; The Lower Eastside Social Club w. Matty Paris, Gregory Wildes, Christobal Jacques and Drew Gardner; Expositions of Freedom Now! w. Vattel Cherry & Jeff Arnal; MAMBO MANTIS w. Bonnie Kane, Chris Welcome & Ray Sage; and most recently in duet with Guitarist Carsten Radtke,
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All About Jazz Articles
Multiple Reviews
Album Review
- The Sunshine Don't Mind My Singing by Hrayr Attarian
- The Sunshine Don't Mind My Singing by Jakob Baekgaard
- Live at The Matt Bevel Institute by Gordon Marshall
Multiple Reviews
Album Review
- New York Moments by Glenn Astarita
- Tandem Rivers by Jeff Stockton
- Dialing Privileges by Derek Taylor
- Dialing Privileges by Glenn Astarita
July 23, 2011
New York Encuentro: Blaise Siwula in Excellent Form with K. Itakura and...
May 19, 2011
Sten Hostfalt Trio featuring Dave Miller, Blaise Siwula Live at...
April 13, 2011
Blaise Siwula, Solo Tenor Sax, "Live in London"
February 23, 2011
Blaise Siwula and Sten Hostfalt at University Of The Streets Thursday...
April 29, 2010
Sten Hostfalt & Blaise Siwula Live at GBM NYC May 10
September 29, 2009
Sten Hostfalt / Blaise Siwula Live at Goodbye Blue Monday NYC
July 25, 2009
Sten Hostfalt / Shiro Onuma / Blaise Siwula at Freddys Backroom...
June 27, 2009
Sten Hostfalt/Blaise Siwula at Goodye Blue Monday NYC June 30
May 30, 2009
Sten Hostfalt / Blaise Siwula at Yippie Cafe (NYC) June 2
May 26, 2009
Human beings spend their lives trying not to be alone. Once they find company, they begin the elusive search to rediscover their initial solitude. In music, the solo recording reflects this contradictory quest. In many ways it is the most intriguing form, both for fan and artist, and once finally attempted, it is charged with a discernible aspiration to retrieve the ensemble format. First to come to mind on the first track of tenor saxophonist Blaise Siwula’s Live in London, “Stutter’s Waltz”, is Peter Brötzmann in the stammering orgies of deep tones and harmonics
Evan Parker
saxophoneAri Hoenig
drumsHenry Threadgill
woodwindsKahil El'Zabar
percussionLeon Thomas
voice / vocalsSonny Simmons
saxophone, altoJoe Giardullo
saxophoneMarcus Shelby
bass, acousticJeffrey Hayden Shurdut
multi-instrumentalistFrank Gratkowski
woodwindsJeff Parker
guitarJeff Arnal
percussionWally Shoup
saxophoneArtists who share similar musical characteristics to Blaise Siwula.