Anne Mette Iversen Quartet +1 is an extension of Anne Mette’s longest running group: Anne Mette Iversen Quartet, featuring John Ellis (tenor saxophone), Peter Dahlgren (trombone), Danny Grissett (piano), Iversen (bass) and Otis Brown III (drums). Established in NYC in 2002, the musical relationship and the improvisational rapport of The Anne Mette Iversen Quartet + 1 has developed to the point where mere words start to fail you in describing them.
From the press release for Racing a Butterfly (May 15, 2020):
"What attracts us to certain artists? What compelling qualities do they posses that enthrall and delight us? Is it virtuosity, creativity or longevity? Or could it be a stark, endearing humanness inherent in their music? Perhaps a feeling of self-knowledge and self-assurance that rings true in every note of every composition. For many fans of bassist/composer/bandleader Anne Mette Iversen it is all of the above"..."The band, sinking their teeth (not to mention their hearts and souls) into nine new Iversen gems, is clearly engaged in the fun, the enjoyment, the playfulness and the lightness that can only come when you are utterly comfortable on your instrument, and in the situation you’re playing music in (the group’s longevity is clearly one of the major factors). Having out-and-out faith in the bandleader/composer’s vision doesn’t hurt either, and that is clearly the case here."
The two singles: Cluster and the title track Racing a Butterfly
Selected press:
"Anne Mette Iversen brings instrumental dexterity as well as sharp compositional and band-leading skills with her." – The New Yorker
“Anne Mette Iversen has been the best reason to pay attention to the Brooklyn Jazz Underground collective . . . a durable listening pleasure for new and expanded discoveries . . .” – Britt Robson, JazzTimes (Editor’s Pick review on Round Trip)
“Thoroughly compelling and wholly rewarding material.“ – Yoshi Kato, DownBeat Magazine (4.5 stars on Round Trip)
“Iversen is now based in Berlin, though her leading role in the Brooklyn Jazz Underground has had a huge impact on the New York scene.” – David R. Adler, The Village Voice
“Iversen’s long-running quartet includes saxophonist John Ellis and pianist Danny Grissett, who both play wonderfully burnished improvisations here that bounce off Iversen’s fertile material . . . The only real problem with So Many Roads is that the journey ends before you want it to.” – Bradley Bambarger, DownBeat Magazine
“[a] highly rewarding road trip through Anne Mette Iversen’s fertile mind” – Jeff Tamarkin, JazzTimes
“This is a great piece of music . . . it’s like two groups performing simultaneously, and periodically bleeding into each other’s worlds in fascinating and thrilling ways.” – Phil Freeman, Burning Ambulance
“Brimming with bold sounds, Round Trip is a successful achievement where no redundancy is found. This CD packs all the virtuosity and straightforwardness of these musicians whose rapport is equally laudable since they bring a cutting honesty and luxurious gravitas into the innovative jazz sphere.” – Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail
