Review by Martin Gladu

Read it at All About Jazz.

There is something of genius in Sam Sadigursky's musical poeticizing. Indeed, besides his knack for casting the most uncanny yet perfect voices for his eclectic and at times Kafka-esque sets, the Brooklyn-based reedman/composer is rapidly becoming the beacon of modern jazz-informed musical prosody. In this capacity, he replenishes the dormant format with a daring, integrated approach to composition, cadence and arranging, while remaining creatively respectful towards the texts he sets to music. As unsettling as some of his arrangements may be, he always finds imaginative ways to put his writers' verses in an enhancive, albeit at times wry, light.

Though the second installment of his ongoing Words Project, Words Project II (New Amsterdam, 2008), proved somewhat disappointing, Sadigursky returns with a batch of incantations as gripping as the project's acclaimed first effort, Words Project (New Amsterdam, 2007). While this first outing firmly established him as a commendable talent right out of the gate, with Miniatures he reaches a new level of formal mastery, using the contrapuntal aspect of his compositional trade more fruitfully and somewhat more prominently.

On the opening "Content," Sadigursky's treatment of David Ignatow's thought-phrase gets a mechanistic, clock-like working, as each of its syntactical propositions get isolated and repeated ad infinitum by Monika Heidelmann's overdubbed vocals, but with each line's exposition deployed through its own set of rhythmic permutations. In both its design and effect, it is reminiscent of the medieval motet. Fernando Pessoa's "Recall" takes a similarly clever, though more fugal spin. Other pieces in the program also showcase Sadigursky's sure skill as an arranger/orchestrator, namely the tranquil wind arrangement of "Wistful," the string quartet-adorned "Now," and the monosyllabic chorale "Do Me That Love."

But the real ear-opening moment comes in Christine Correa's performance of Maxim Gorky's scornful screed against jazz, "O Muzike Tolstykh." The assembling of the overly expressive vocalist—who takes a serious joy digging in each of the Bolshevik author's cutting descriptions—and Sadigursky's cohorts' dissonant machinations lends to one memorable moment. The sonorous commentary is followed by the group's dense construct around Alena Syknkova's "Tears," akin to listening to Björk in the middle of a noisy New York City traffic jam. Conversely, Maureen MacLane's "Ode" gently rolls off the tongue of violinist Roland Satterwhite's soft, rickety voice, which is stealthily supported by Michael Beers' English horn and the leader on piano. "To Know Silence Perfectly," a dreamy, almost psychedelic ditty, also adds to the other, more introspective vignettes.

Miniatures is an engaging, richly textured work to be reckoned with, a modern masterpiece of the profoundest authenticity.

Words Project III Podcast now available

The podcast about the new CD is now up on New Amsterdam. It was produced by rising star Jacob Paul. Hit the podcast button on the upper right of the homepage to listen to it. Hopefully it will be up on iTunes soon.

Step Tempest

Richard Kamins on Words Project III: Miniatures.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Words and Music That Can Touch the Soul

Words Project III: Miniatures - Sam Sadigursky (New Amsterdam) - In his ongoing project to connect poetry with original music, saxophonist Sadigursky has, in the past, created elaborate works, with melodies that often used a small coterie of instruments in counterpoint with the vocals. The 3rd entry in the series concentrates more on the sound and shape of the words, this time allowing the poetry to dictate the form of the songs. Few of the 18 tracks have more than 3 or 4 instruments playing; there's no real rhythm section and solos are rare. This time out, Sadigursky's focus is on the voice - even the one track that has no words is a chorale written for voices. Working alongside multi-instrumentalist Michael Leonhart (and a number of musicians and vocalists), Sadigursky is not interested in displaying his (or his sideman's) technical facility but in making the listener move easily into this aural landscape. Sometimes it's tough, the words whiz by, the images don't make immediate sense - go back, play the cut again and again and, as you do, the words and music start to come into focus.


If you've not read Carl Sandburg in decades, you may have forgotten how he could create such vivid images in short sentences. There are 4 examples on this disk and each one has a unique soundscape. "Wistful"utilizes Leonhart's multi-tracked brass chorale to frame the lines while "Swirl" moves on the Middle-Eastern percussion of Richie Barshay and droning background vocals. "To Know Silence Perfectly" utilizes several keyboards, sounding not unlike Brian Wilson in his "Smile" days or the simple yet haunting songs of Robert Wyatt. Numerous horns and strings play in unison with Leonhart on "Stars, Songs, Faces" and there's a dreamy quality to this beautiful idea of how to live your life that the poet asks his reader to consider. The shortness of the cut (1:07) only strengthens the message of impermanence.

Other poets include William Carlos Williams (his "Dance Russe" is a mad look at the creative process while "El Hombre"has the feel of Brazilian poem/melody by Caetano Veloso), Sadi Ranson-Politizotti (her "Now" is a song of love that Karlie Bruce sings with an aching tenderness over a chamber music ensemble) and Kenneth Patchen ("Do Me That Love" has the feel of a introspective John Lennon work.) "O Muzyke Tolstykh" uses text by Maxim Gorky that is a scree against modern jazz with a soundscape featuring bass clarinet, piccolo, baritone saxophone, tabla and moaning brass. "Light (Ample Make This Bed") features a handsome guitar melody (played by Andrew McKenna Lee) over which Heather Masse quietly recites a wondrous piece by Emily Dickinson. Sadigursky also wrote music for the words of contemporary poets Michael Lally, Han Dong, and Maureen N. McLane as well as older poets such as David Ignatow (1914 - 1997), Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), León de Greiff (1895-1976), and Alena Synkova (1926 - ?, the only child-poet to survive the Terezin Concentration camp.


Sam Sadigursky is a busy musician, playing and recording with the likes of Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Folklore Urbano, Tibagui, Julie Hardy and Rob Mosher's Storytime. He's a fine, articulate, player whose sweet tone enlivens the various ensembles he plays with. Yet, the Words Project CDs offers listeners the opportunity to hear Sadigursky the composer, arranger and orchestrator. While there is an "art song" quality about the Projects (a style which often has a distant and impassive feel), the majority of the pieces on "..III" have emotional weight and many speak of longing or love or sadness. The musical backdrops may be spare at times (the use of kalimba on "Rain" is a perfect touch as the hand-held African thumb piano's sound can resemble falling water) but never out of touch with the words. In this time when one can be surrounded by "talk shows" on television and radio as well as the constant jabbering of politicians and fundamentalists, these "Miniatures" pack quite a punch.

All About Jazz review by Elliot Simon

Words Project II
Sam Sadigursky |
New Amsterdam Records(2008)


By Elliott Simon

Multi-instrumentalist Sam Sadigursky has released the second of his Words Projects, wherein musicians and like-minded vocalists present poetry in a beat-cum-back to the future manner. This is not your grandfather's poems read over a bongo but is creative integration of vocals into an instrumental fabric.

Sadigursky's saxophones and clarinet as well as Pete Rende's piano/Rhodes and accordion thoroughly blend with the vocals to create a "'reading" true to the overall meter and phrasing of the poem(s). Nate Radley's guitar/banjo stylings and Richie Barshay's percussion add a bit of needed color to what otherwise is a fairly monophonic sound palette, texturally rich but sonically narrow. This, combined with the artful vocals of Wendy Gilles, Monika Heidemann and Becca Stevens, makes for a deeply engaging listen.

Poet Andrew Boyd's three contributions are choice narrations of desperate situations that are a perfect fit for these environs. A lyric sheet is included and the way to experience these pieces is to use it while listening; otherwise one might not realize that the true definition of "rock bottom' is "purchasing the collected works of Yanni." Subjects also include David Ignatow's "No Theory," a description of the evisceration of a chicken, and "Miss Teen USA," whose legendary incoherence might be the seeds of a Vice Presidential candidacy someday. While the biting sarcasm of "The War Works Hard" is presented over a cacophonous build, all is not dark, and moments like Langston Hughes' uplifting "The Dream Keeper" and Sadi Ranson Polizzotti's lover's delight "Such Fruit-The Ritual" are points of light.

Words Project II

Words Project II has been selected as one of the best CD's of 2008 by Richard Kamins, who writes for the Hartford Courant. Click here to see the actual write-up.

Words Project II- Sam Sadigursky (New Amsterdam Records) - Multi-instrumentalist Sadigursky (who excels on saxophones and clarinet) creates intricate yet accessible musical backgrounds for this collection of 10 poems. The scope of the verses range from the sublime (Sadi Ranson Polizotti's "Such Fruit - The Ritual") to the forceful (Dunya Mikhail's "The War Works Hard") to the ridiculous ( a musical setting for Miss Teen USA contestant's Caitlin Upton's answer to a question about finding the United States on a world map.) The music is not loud but has much force and never fails to complement the words. You really need to listen to this CD a number of times to take it all in, to hear how the rhythm section dictates the flow on many tracks and how the textures can be so rich (for instance, the blend of clarinet, accordion and banjo on "The Dream Keeper" and Bill Campbell's exquisite cymbal work underneath on the same track.) There's plenty of music to be found in this project and it's quite good. For more information, go to www.samsadigursky.com.

the tortoise emerges

One of the biggest reasons I started this blog was to promote new music that I feel might not be getting the attention that it deserves. I previously wrote about my good friend David Doruzka's recent release of poetry settings, which was a staple of my summer listening, and now wish to spotlight saxophonist and composer Rob Mosher's new release with his group Storytime, entitled The Tortoise
, which I so curiously happen to play on.

Until he called me to play one of his open rehearsals at the Brooklyn Lyceum, Rob was unknown to me. He moved here from Toronto in 2004 and somehow our paths had never crossed. Clearly something big has been brewing inside of him since he got here and is probably part of the reason somebody of his talent has existed largely under the radar here. Storytime is a ten-piece ensemble that consists of four wind players (including Rob on soprano saxophone and double reeds), trumpet, french horn, trombone, guitar, bass, and drums. Not quite a big band, but neither a small group, it functions somewhere in the middle, in what some might call chamber-jazz, and offers a myriad of orchestral colors while remaining intimate and quite often subdued.

The tracks on the record are through-composed, and range typically from five to ten minutes in length. None of them ever fall into the typical head, solo, head out format of jazz. Solos emerge out of nowhere, and are brilliantly worked into the ensemble. Despite a beautiful lyrical sense to his melodies, so many of them are indistinct in themselves, small kernels from which everything else emerges. Rather than blow the mystery of the compositional process the way most jazz composers do by giving you the hook upfront and relying on predictable devices (bass ostinatos, odd time signatures, angular melodies, etc.), Rob's pieces unfold slowly, with the patience of somebody much older than Rob. Little motives emerge as the pieces unfold, and appear subtly throughout the instrumentation, tying the pieces together in a very disciplined, yet unexpected way. Much like the great impressionist composers who moved away from large sweeping melodies, Mosher takes the minimum amount of material at squeezes it until every possibility inside of it has been found. Despite the intimidation some might feel at the idea of chamber jazz, a joy permeates this music, even in some of the more tragic sounding moments on the album, and I really believe this record has a rare accessibility to listeners. There are several solos on the record that really knock me out, including one from saxophonist Peter Hess, trombonist Mike Fahie, and two from guitarist Nir Felder, who all soar above the ensemble. Rob makes some beautiful contributions on soprano saxophone (evoking his own brand of Wayne Shorter), but clearly shares the spotlight generously with the other members of the ensemble.

Several humorous miniatures offset the density of this record, and are beautifully worked into the program, offering contrast but always setting the tone for what's to follow. One of my favorite moments is the sudden emergence of a choir singing Latin gibberish on a piece called Sleepless Lullaby. It comes out of nowhere in an otherwise serious piece, but somehow feels totally natural despite its absurdity. None of us had any idea what he had in mind when he handed us a sheet of lyrics on the session and asked us all to sing, and to hear this emerge from something so seemingly silly is quite astonishing.

A CD like The Tortoise is the product of literally thousands of hours of difficult, soul-searching work. It's no wonder so few people know about Rob, as he has clearly had something profound on his mind since getting here, and is one of the most hard-working and dedicated people I know.

Storytime will be having a CD release concert on October 3rd. Here'sthe info:

* Friday, October 3rd, 7:30pm
* Third Street Music, NYC, 235 East 11th Street (near 2nd ave)
* No Admission, Limited Seating, CD's $15

Go to www.robmosher.com to hear clips of the CD and to get information on how to order it.

Words Project II podcast

Jacob Paul, New Amsterdam Records' new "man on the street", has put up a podcast based on an interview we did about my new record. It's available here.

Words Project II review on jazzchicago.net

Review by Brad Walseth


I had a sinking feeling that something was missing from my life, but couldn't put a finger on it until I put Sam Sadigursky's "Word Project II" on to listen and I remembered the power that words have to bring beauty and meaning into life. Of course this force can be amplified by combining it with great music, and Sadigursky, whose first Words Project was a revelation and one of the better releases of 2007, is back with another release that may even surpass the first one.

The original project centered around translations of Eastern European poets, while the new release only offers one in this category: "The Sea and the Man" by Anna Swir. Instead, there are two African American written poems, "Therapy" by Audre Lorde and "The Dream Keeper" by Langston Hughes; "The War Works Hard" by Iraqi-American Dunya Mikhail, and poems by two well-known Western poets, the late David Ignatow ("No Theory") and Sadi Ranson Polizzotti ("Such Fruit - The Ritual"). These "serious" works are countered by three darkly humorous entries from noted "troublemaker" Andrew Boyd's book Daily Afflictions (as opposed to "affirmations"), and a transcription of Miss Teen U.S.A. contestant, Caitlin Upton's convoluted response to a question posed to her during the pageant.

Many of the same participants appear on this new recording: Nate Radley on guitar and banjo; Pete Rende on keyboards; Eivind Opsvik on bass, and are joined by drummer Bill Campbell to form the core group (percussionist Richie Brashay is added on three tracks, and soprano saxophonists Daniel Blake and Jeremy Udden appear on one). Sadigursky himself plays saxophones, clarinet, piccolo, percussion, keyboards and more. Singers Monika Heidemann and Becca Stevens reprise their roles, providing different vocal while Wendy Gilles joins in replacing Heather Masse. The continuity adds to the recording and things sound even more focused and relaxed.

"Paths" starts things off in a darkly compelling manner with its cynical look at self-help tracts, while Polizzotti's �Such Fruit - The Ritual" is a lovely number that perfectly captures the longing and ambivalence of romance. Meanwhile, track three, Ignatow's "No Theory" will have you dancing and singing along to a song that features not your usual words and sentiments you would never expect in such a cheery musical number. Hughes' "The Dream Keeper" is given a delicate treatment that suits these beautiful lines well.

"Miss Teen U.S.A." is again humorous in a dark way, with the indecipherable lines fitting the jazz groove like beat poetry. And Sadigursky is able to write music that corresponds tightly to Andrew Boyd's wryly sardonic insights on "It Takes a Nail" and "Indecision."

The subtle "The Sea and the Man" may be the centerpiece of the album with lines like "You will not tame this sea either by humility or rapture, but you can laugh in its face," seeming to express the sentiments of Sadigursky's entire project. The haunting "The War Works Hard" features the poet herself over an appropriately swirling freeform morass. The jazzy outro is Audre Lorde's "Therapy" with a single saxophone accompanying the singer. A delightful ending to a work that fuses the sadness and joy inherent in life and filters them through the beauty and absurdity of life in a way that helps me remember why I love both music and words so much.

Words Project II review on Courant

Words Project II - Sam Sadigursky (New Amsterdam) - Saxophonist-composer Sadigusrky has created a compelling second recording that, like the first, takes poems and puts them to original melodies. I truly enjoyed his initial endeavor (read my review here) and hoped his next recording would be as impressive.

In fact, it's better. Whereas his choice of poems shows sensitivity equal to "Words Project I", the music seems better integrated with the words - actually, I believe the melodies are stronger (and they were really good on the first disc.)

Sadigursky's choice of material comes from poets well-known (Langston Hughes, David Ignatow, and Audre Lorde) and writers new to me (Andrew Boyd, former Miss Teen U.S.A. contestant Caitlin Upton, Sadi Ranson-Polizzotti, Anna Swir and Dunya Mikhail.) The track that stands out immediately upon first listening is Mikhail's "The War Works Hard". The Iraqi-born poet, currently living in Michigan, reads her own work. Amidst sounds of war and a dirge-like melody, the piece seems like an answer to the question "War - what is it good for?" The answer is not pretty but the poet writes "How magnificent the war is!/How eager and efficient!" and goes on to explain how it gives work to grave diggers, ambulances, orphanages, etc. To read the entire text, click here.

Caitlin Upton is, perhaps, best known for her convoluted answer to a question asked during a recent Miss Teen U.S.A. contest. The question, which opens the track "Miss Teen U.S.A.", reads "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't find the U.S. on a world map. Why do think this is?" The reply is, at best, elliptical, and incredibly strange. The music, anchored by Bill Campbell's active drumming and Pete Rende's subtle Fender Rhodes piano phrases, has the feel of 1970s British fusion (Hatfield & The North) right down to Wendy Gilles's straightforward vocal.

Monika Heidemann takes the lead on Hughes' "The Dream Keeper." It's a beautiful ballad,sounding not unlike a traditional Scottish song Sadigursky's clarinet swoops up around the vocal while Rende creates a drone on pump organ and Nate Radley picks gentle lines on the banjo. Becca Stevens is the 3rd vocalist featured on the recording and her gentle reading of Ranson-Polizzotti's "Such Fruit - The Ritual" is bolstered by the active bass lines from Eivind Opsvik and rich piano chords from Rende. The leader's soprano saxophone tone bring Wayne Shorter to mind as does his declaratory solo lines.

Throughout the CD, Sadigursky often serves a second voice to the vocalists, sometimes in unison with them, creating an echo effect. His sonic shadowing not only provides depth for the voices but also creates fascinating colors - on "The Sea and the Man", there are moments when it's hard to differentiate between his tenor and Gilles' voice.

Each track, even the very short (1:24) "Therapy" that closes the program, is well thought-out. There's no hint of slapping this recording together just to get it on the market. From the title, one realizes it's really about the "words" but much of this music could stand on its own ("The Sea..." starts out with a sweet bass line, creating a feeling not unlike a piece Gill Evans might have created for Miles Davis.) This music is not about technical facility or long solos or vocals that "stop the show"; instead the music gives added strength to the words, makes them stand out more because one is compelled to listen closely.

For more information, go to www.samsadigursky.com or www.newamsterdamrecords.com (where you can listen to and/or buy all the tracks.)

I like the cover art, too, a reproduction of "Leaping Kiss" by Chilean-born artist Pablo Campos. Click on his name to see more of his engrossing work.

David Doruzka's Silent Dawning

One of the big motivations in starting this blog was to occasionally plug exceptional records that come my way, things that I feel stand out in the jazz world. It was with much anticipation that I received David Doruzka's new CD Silent Dawning last week, which is new out on a Czech label called Animal Music.

David is a guitarist originally from Czech Republic who studied in Boston and afterwards lived in New York briefly, where we met and played quite a bit. From the first time we played together, David became one of my musical heroes, one of the most committed and dedicated musicians I have known. Despite that fact that we are just about the same age, I always felt I was playing with an elder when playing with him. He always displays such patience, focus and restraint in any situation.

After just a year in New York, David decided to move back to Prague and has lived there since, with a brief period living in Paris. I had the joy of spending a few weeks there with him in 2004 and he told me about his search for a new direction in his music and his desire to record a group with a Swedish singer named Josefine Lindstrand whom he had met while touring with British pianist Django Bates.

Four years later, he has released Silent Dawning, an album of song settings and original songs based around Lindstrand's beautiful and haunting voice. Included are four settings of Emily Dickinson poems, as well as songs in Czech and Swedish.

David's ability to set these poems in a complex and interesting sound world without detracting from the texts is astonishing. He has taken some weighty material that most would shy away from, very little of which is in his native tongue, and brought an incredible sensitivity to it. There's a lot of sophistication in this writing, but it never intrudes on the poem, and the musicians on the record (also on it are Lukasz Zyta and Michal Baranski, both Polish I believe) also know how to stay out of the way of the text. Lindstrand brings an astonishing voice to the music, one that reminds me ever so slightly of Rebecca Martin's coarse but slightly fragile delicateness, especially on some of the more folksy tunes on the record. The playing is great throughout, and David's sense of harmony, form and sound is quite profound.

For those of us on this side of the ocean, the CD is available at CD Baby and is beautifully packaged, featuring a booklet with all the texts translated into Czech, Swedish and English.