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| New York Debut For Jazz Violist Tanya Kalmanovitch Juilliard-trained violist and violinist performs acoustic and electric sets at Cornelia Street Café, March 2 @ 8:30 PM Named 2004's “Best New Talent” by All About Jazz New York, violist & violinist Tanya Kalmanovitch makes her New York debut as a leader on March 2 at Cornelia Street Café. A formidable classical performer, Kalmanovitch is fast developing a reputation in the international jazz and creative music community as an innovator on her primary instrument, the viola. She explores the viola's dark, warm terrain, uncovering its rich, vocal qualities in the context of jazz and free improvisation. Unabashedly expressive and a fierce technician, Kalmanovitch’s breathtaking performances have garnered rave reviews in DownBeat, Coda, the Montreal Gazette, and the Irish Times. Since taking up improvised performance while a student at the Juilliard School in the 1990s, Kalmanovitch has undertaken a musical journey of rare stylistic and geographical breadth. Among her jazz collaborators are David Liebman, Andy Laster, Mat Maneri and Myra Melford. She has also performed and recorded with the Turtle Island String Quartet, Hindustani sitarist/vocalist Shujaat Hussein Khan, traditional Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, and iconic American composer John Cage. Kalmanovitch has recently moved back to New York after over a decade’s absence, during which time she lived and performed in Canada, India and Ireland. On March 2, Kalmanovitch will be showcasing her range in two separate projects. At 8:30 PM she will be performing with Major Over Minor, a collaborative acoustic string trio with violinist Rob Thomas and bassist Lindsey Horner. In this performance, the trio will be improvising over Bela Bartok’s 44 Duos for Violin, exploring the unique harmonic and melodic soundscapes in the composer’s miniatures. For the second set at 10:00 PM, Kalmanovitch will feature her electric quartet Hut Five. Joined by guitarist Pete McCann, bassist John Hebert, and drummer Owen Howard, she will perform original compositions blending her primary musical influences: contemporary jazz, 20th Century classical music, rock and free improvisation. Central to the group’s aesthetic is the concept of expressive contrasts. Original compositions span the poles of extended composition and free improvisation, and Kalmanovitch’s warm viola and sweet violin float over the astringent chromaticism and rhythmic complexity of her compositions. The group has released two records on Perspicacity. Upcoming projects for this exciting new addition to the New York scene include a collaborative string project with fellow violist/violinist Mat Maneri, and a new recording of her duo with pianist Myra Melford to be recorded later this month in Banff, Canada. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |