One of
the youngest instructors at Boston's Berklee College of Music, Anick is rapidly
making a name for himself in the world of jazz violin and mandolin. In addition
to leading his own ensemble and performing with the Rhythm Future Quartet,
Anick has been touring and recording with Grammy award-winning Nashville guitar
virtuoso John Jorgenson since 2008 when he was recruited while still a senior
at Hartt Conservatory
Talk to
the abundantly gifted violinist and mandolin player Jason Anick and the phrase
" jazz without borders" will invariably come up. What the axiom means
to Anick is a contemporary jazz that is stylistically inclusive in nature, a
jazz that brings whatever it can to the party, unwilling to cut something out
of the mix for fear of it not fitting prescribed boundaries. An inviting
demonstration of the maxim in action can be found on Anick's second album as a
leader, Tipping Point (February 18, 2014). Utilizing both acoustic and electric
mandolins in addition to his customary violin, Anick expands his musical
horizons; those who associate his name with acoustic Gypsy jazz -- as heard so
convincingly on his debut album, Sleepless, in his work with the Rhythm Future
Quartet and with Grammy-award winning guitar virtuoso John Jorgenson -- will
now find that pigeonholing Anick is fruitless. The album's title spells things
out loud and clear: from this moment forward Anick's own music is rooted in the
here and now, a time when possibilities reign.
Blending
Anick originals that openly incorporate the influences of mainstream jazz,
classical, new acoustic music, Gypsy jazz, swing, and hard bop with a
wide-ranging swath of jazz classics from the likes of Django Reinhardt, Horace
Silver, Hank Mobley and Ornette Coleman (along with a well-chosen standard,
"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes"), Tipping Point declares that for
open-eared members of the 27-year-old string master's generation, musical
exclusion is a dead end. What tie together the various strains of Anick's
vision are his extraordinary command of his chosen instruments and the spirited
contributions of the like-minded players that accompany him on this musical
journey.
To
accommodate his concept, Anick uses two distinct ensembles throughout Tipping
Point. For his five original compositions, Anick teams up with like-minded
pianist Jason Yeager and pairs his violin and mandolins with the alto saxophone
of Clay Lyons to achieve an atypical yet thoroughly appealing frontline sound.
On the majority of the tunes by others, Anick sticks to violin and surrounds
himself with a trio featuring the hard-swinging pianist Matt DeChamplain.
(Coleman's blues "Turnaround" unites Anick's electric mandolin with
the electric guitar of Lee Dynes.) The differing bands lend the album variety
and suggest the unrestricted nature of Anick's current music making.
"There's
a home in jazz for everything," Anick states. "I admire the embracing
stance that contemporary musicians like Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman take,
allowing other musics to join with jazz. On Tipping Point I'm moving in new
directions, trying different musical settings and types of composition. I
wanted to show different sides of my playing and my writing. I see all the diverse
musical influences as being interconnected.
And there's beauty in interconnections."
The
album also points to the Anick's new interest in using imagery to paint his
musical pictures. "I try to visualize different aspects of songs," he
explains. "Songs can become like musical movies; stories can come from the
music and take a listener on a journey."
To that
end, Anick never allows his obvious virtuosity to overpower the music's intent.
"It's not about displaying technique," he states. "It's about
creating a soundscape, an atmosphere for listeners to enter into." The
shifting landscapes of Anick's own "Maryandra" and "Inspiration
Point" are convincing examples of the leader's ambitions in action.
One of
the youngest instructors at Boston's Berklee College of Music, Anick is rapidly
making a name for himself in the world of jazz violin and mandolin. In addition
to leading his own ensemble and performing with the Rhythm Future Quartet,
Anick has been touring and recording with Grammy award-winning Nashville guitar
virtuoso John Jorgenson since 2008 when he was recruited while still a senior
at Hartt Conservatory.
Anick celebrates the CD with concerts in Boston, Portland, ME; Old Lyme, CT and NYC:
Thursday, February 6 - One Longfellow Square - Portland, ME
Saturday, February 22 - The Side Door- Old Lyme, CT
Tuesday, February 25 - Regattabar - Cambridge, MA
Tuesday, March 18 - Cornelia Street Café - New York, NY
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