Live at the Loft

about this album

Where Lotte Anker's saxophone style lies somewhere between the pithy harmonic content of Lee Konitz and the elaborate, Zen-like, snake-like trains of thought extrapolated by Marty Ehrlich. You'd be hard pressed to instantly recognize her via a few notes, but you can appreciate her long-form ideas stretched out over time, developed from a variety of tones and timbres, exploring the inner reaches of her alto or tenor sax without hanging on the edge of a cliff playing overtone-based music. A pure improviser, Danish native Anker pushes and pulls a variety of extended themes on this recording, with the American-based team of acoustic pianist Craig Taborn alongside drummer Gerald Cleaver. There's a certain restraint evident in the three long-winded tracks, especially from Cleaver, as the trio streams along on a fairly straight path, not in the mainstream jazz sense, but more on a level of constant acute listening and responding. A certain amount of give and take is noticeable, but it sounds as though Anker is unquestionably the leader, with Taborn and Cleaver playing major roles inspiring the saxophonist to change depth, pace, and placement of all her well-chosen notes. "Magic Carpet" is perfectly titled, and for nearly 27 minutes glides along with echoing sax and overtures of soft tones, taking off very slowly as Taborn's mystery-shaded piano underlines the restrained climate at no more than a mezzo forte level. Cleaver's spare solo further emphasizes the mood, which does end up m

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