Sylvie Courvoisier Poppy Seeds

For her commission from NYSCA (New York State Council on the Arts), pianist Sylvie Courvoisier will be presenting Poppy Seeds, a new ensemble performing new music written especially for this quartet with Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Dan Weiss (drums) and Thomas Morgan (bass). The European premiere will be played at Jazzfest Berlin, followed by a concert at Le Périscope on Wednesday 6 November.

Sylvie Courvoisier – described by the New York Times as ‘a pianist who is both bold and confident’ – has built the group around a double-keyboard sound that she grew to love after creating a recent recording with pianist Cory Smythe of the two-piano version of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and her own piece Spectre d’un Songe.

New York-based pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, always driven by a desire to explore new areas, is presenting a new group with the same line-up as the legendary Modern Jazz Quartet. In addition to Sylvie Courvoisier on piano and the rhythm section comprising bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Dan Weiss, the group includes vibraphonist Patricia Brennan – one of the most exciting musicians on her instrument and a member of Mary Halvorson’s Amaryllis sextet.