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PRISM Quartet

Intriguing programs of great beauty and breadth have distinguished the PRISM Quartet as one of America’s foremost chamber ensembles.

Two-time winners of the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, PRISM has performed in Carnegie Hall on the Making Music Series, in Alice Tully Hall with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and throughout Latin America under the auspices of the United States Information Agency. PRISM has also been presented to critical acclaim as soloists with the Detroit Symphony and Cleveland Orchestra, and conducted residencies at the nation’s leading conservatories, including the Curtis Institute of Music and the Oberlin Conservatory.

Champions of new music, PRISM has commissioned over 150 works, many by internationally celebrated composers, including Pulitzer Prize-winners William Bolcom, Jennifer Higdon, Zhou Long, and Bernard Rands; Guggenheim Fellows William Albright, Martin Bresnick, Chen Yi, Lee Hyla, and Steven Mackey; MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient Bright Sheng; and jazz masters Greg Osby and Tim Ries. In 1997, PRISM initiated its own concert series in Philadelphia and New York City, presenting the newest compositions created for their ensemble by composers from around the world. The series has featured an eclectic range of guest artists, including Ethel, the Talujon Percussion Quartet, Music From China, Miro Dance Theatre, Cantori New York, and top jazz artists, including guitarist Ben Monder, saxophonist Rick Margitza, and drummers Gerald Cleaver, Mark Ferber, and John Riley. PRISM has also joined forces with the New York Consort of Viols, Opera Colorado, and the Chilean rock band Inti-Illimani in touring engagements.

PRISM’s discography is extensive, documenting more than sixty works commissioned by the Quartet on Albany, innova, Koch, Naxos, New Dynamic, and New Focus. PRISM may also be heard on the soundtrack of the film Two Plus One, by Emmy nominee Eugene Martin, scored by Quartet member Matthew Levy, and has been featured in the theme music to the weekly PBS news magazine “NOW.”

PRISM performs exclusively on Selmer saxophones and mouthpieces.

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1
Album Review

PRISM Quartet: Heritage/Evolution, Volume 1

Read "Heritage/Evolution, Volume 1" reviewed by Maurizio Zerbo


Il quartetto di sassofoni PRISM, composto da Timothy McAllister, Zachary Shemon, Matthew Levy e Taimur Sullivan, ha assorbito nel tempo gli stimoli più fecondi del jazz contemporaneo fino ad ospitare i più fulgidi sassofonisti di oggi. Heritage/Evolution distilla questa esperienza in un progetto rigoroso sul piano compositivo e dell'organizzazione dello spazio sonoro. Camaleonticamente cangianti, le musiche proposte -composte da, e suonate con, ospiti della levatura di Steve Lehman, Dave Liebman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Greg Osby, Tim Ries e Miguel Zenón--rivelano una ...

58
Album Review

PRISM Quartet: Heritage/Evolution, Volume 1

Read "Heritage/Evolution, Volume 1" reviewed by Karl Ackermann


Not quite as well-known as the World Saxophone Quartet or the Rova Saxophone Quartet, the PRISM Quartet practices a unique approach to this category of ensemble playing. In part, PRISM takes a more direct aim on improvisation as opposed to the more blended method of WSQ or the openly free style of Rova. More idiosyncratic is the evolution of the quartet over three decades. When tenor player Matthew Levy founded the group in Michigan, its original mission was specific to ...

185
Album Review

PRISM Quartet: Real Standard Time

Read "Real Standard Time" reviewed by AAJ Staff


The PRISM quartet offers a fresh update to the now long-standing tradition of saxophone quartet playing. The all-saxophone core rarely stands alone on Real Standard Time: instead, they draw upon an indie all-star cast of supporting players to round out their sound. When the group operates at its leanest, much of the material obeys formal arrangement and coordinated dynamics. However, as things develop, they break apart and segment into patterns of open improvisation and interplay.

As opposed to groups like ...

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Performance / Tour

Heritage/Evolution: PRISM Quartet With Joe Lovano in Philadelphia (June 3) and New York City (June 4)

Heritage/Evolution: PRISM Quartet With Joe Lovano in Philadelphia (June 3) and New York City (June 4)

Source: Matthew Levy

Joe Lovano: “My new work, 'Super Sonix,' is inspired by and dedicated to the genius and Third Stream pioneer Gunther Schuller, as well as modern jazz master Ornette Coleman, both of whom I’ve been associated with. I also drew from my personal experiences playing within some great saxophone sections: The Woody Herman Band, Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Carla Bley Band, and The Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra. ‘Super Sonix’ is a piece which explores the natural beauty found in the ...

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Performance / Tour

Prism Quartet Turns 30, Announces Ambitious 3-Part Concert Series In Philadelphia And New York City

Prism Quartet Turns 30, Announces Ambitious 3-Part Concert Series In Philadelphia And New York City

Source: Aleba Gartner

The classical PRISM Quartet commissions six of today's most inventive jazz saxophonists to compose sax quintets & sextets and perform them with PRISM Heritage/Evolution 1: PRISM Quartet with STEVE LEHMAN & RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA Friday, April 11 at World Cafe Live, Philadelphia Saturday, April 12 at Symphony Space, NYC Heritage/Evolution 2: PRISM Quartet with TIM RIES & MIGUEL ZENÓN Thursday, May 8 at World Cafe Live, Philadelphia ...

This bold ensemble has set the standard for contemporary-classical saxophone quartets with its rhythmic acuity and elegant sound. The New York Times

...Mellifluous and stylistically versatile, the new work made a strong impression; a broad texture of saxophone sonorities emerged. The players...blended personalities handsomely. The New York Times

The group gave a beautifully couched reading...exciting...and virtuosic... The New York Times

[PRISM] shattered expectations…pioneering achievements of the highest order. Chamber Music

PRISM delivered a rhapsodic, riveting performance. The Los Angeles Times

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