Lotte Anker (saxophones)
Craig Taborn (piano)
Gerald Cleaver (drums)

ANKER/TABORN/CLEAVER had its premiere in May 2003, where the band did a small, but successful tour in France, Germany and Denmark. Since then ATC has been performing at festivals, clubs and concert spaces in Scandinavia, Europe, USA and Canada and also released the critically acclaimed CD "Triptych" (Leo Records).

"Pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver are close allies on the New York scene, and this encounter with Danish saxist Lotte Anker affirms their simpatico. Anker, a fount of sinewy yet lyrical abstraction on both of her horns, seems to bring out the best in her collaborators. While Triptych is every inch a free session, with seven collectively composed pieces, the trio covers a wide swath of sonic territory." Jazzwise UK 2006


Lotte Anker
www.lotteanker.com

Lotte Anker (soprano/alto/tenor saxophone, composer) Known for her intense playing and being one of the strongest improvisers in the freeform/improv field in Denmark, as well as an active composer, Lotte Anker works as co-leader of the highly acclaimed 12-piece group Copenhagen Art Ensemble and as a leader of her duo with Marilyn Crispell and trio with Craig Taborn and Gerald Cleaver. Other current working groups and ongoing collaborations include: The Quartet Ictus (with Marc Ducret, Peter Friis-Nielsen, Stefan Pasborg) the Mokuto Quartet (with Herb Robertson, Peter Friis-Nielsen, P.O. J¿rgensen) and projects with Tim Berne, Benoit Delbecq, Arve Henriksen, Sylvie Courvoisier, Ikue Mori, Paal Nilssen-Love. She has also played with Peter Brötzmann, Andrew Cyrille, and Marilyn Mazur.

As a composer, Lotte Anker has written for small groups, big band, chamber orchestras, choir, etc. Both as a musician and composer her main interests are in the worlds of modern/free-improv jazz and contemporary (new) music and the combination of the two.

Craig Taborn

"Jazz pianist and organist Craig Taborn began working professionally in the 1990s in a variety of musical contexts, ranging from more straight-ahead jazz to more outside music, with young jazz musicians, seasoned veterans, and even techno artists. In his hometown of Minneapolis, Taborn studied piano, composition, and music theory with area university professors before going away to college. Before he graduated from college, Taborn had already performed on three recordings as a member of the James Carter Quartet. After graduating with a liberal arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1995, DIW released Taborn's first date as a leader, The Craig Taborn Trio He then moved to N.Y.C., and by the close of the '90s, he performed on two more Carter releases; Roscoe Mitchell's 1999 ECM release, Nine to Get Ready; Detroiter Carl Craig's techno-jazz project, Innerzone Orchestra; and on Hugh Ragin's Afternoon in Harlem. At the beginning of 2000, Taborn was active performing along with drummer Tom Rainy in Tim Berne's Quiksand." - Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide

"Craig Taborn has distinguished himself through his work, some of it nothing short of groundbreaking, with some of the most important musicians in New York's "Downtown" scene. His contributions during parallel careers with Mat Maneri, Drew Gress, Marty Ehrlich, Gerald Cleaver, Dave Douglas' Witness project, and Tim Berne's Hard Cell and Science Friction units, has been thrillingly spontaneous yet organic, accomplished yet somehow ephemeral. Craig possesses that trait so valued by listeners and leaders alike (and sometimes not, by the less self-assured of them) throughout the history of the music; that is, they find themselves pointing their ears towards him throughout recordings and performances to find out what remarkable phrase, color, texture or idea he's going to come up with—invent even—next." - Phil DiPietro, All About Jazz

Gerald Cleaver

Although jazz drummer Gerald Cleaver has been known in the Detroit area as a great musician and educator since the early '90s, he was not so well-known to listeners outside of the Midwest until an explosion of recordings released starting in 1999 brought his powerful and tasteful drumming to the attention of jazz listeners everywhere.

Born and raised in Detroit, Cleaver became deeply involved with the jazz scene there, working with respected area musicians including bassist Ali Muhammad Jackson, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, tenor saxophonist Donald Walden, bassist Rodney Whitaker, guitarist A. Spencer Barefield, reedsman Wendell Harrison, and many others. An NEA fellowship allowed Cleaver to study with drummer Victor Lewis; Cleaver then earned a music degree from the University of Michigan. During his years as a student, he had a band with keyboardist Craig Taborn called the Tracey Science Quartet. Cleaver went on to become a jazz educator after graduating and began teaching in Detroit in the early '90s, later joined the jazz faculty at the University of Michigan.

"Splitting time between Detroit and NYC, Cleaver has worked with a long list of great jazz leaders including Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Jacky Terrasson, Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Charles Gayle, Reggie Workman, and Eddie Harris, among others. In 2000, Cleaver is heard in a number of groups, including the Joe Morris Quartet (with releases on Omnitone and Knitting Factory), the Matthew Shipp Quartet (Pastoral Composure), young bassist Chris Lightcap's debut as a leader, Lay-Up, and on vocalist René Marie's Maxjazz release. Cleaver has been active in a number of other groups including the Roscoe Mitchell Trio, Bishop/Cleaver/Flood (with Ann Arbor-based reedsman Andrew Bishop and bassist Tim Flood), and his own sextet, Gerald Cleaver's Veil of Names, which includes guitarist Ben Monder, violinist/violist Mat Maneri, bassist Reid Anderson, saxophonist Andrew Bishop, and former college collaborator, Craig Taborn." - Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide

Some publications related to this event:
June, 2007 - 2007