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My new album "Best of the West + Many Places" has been received very well.

May 19, '08 "West" from "Best of the West" was NPR's Song of the Day!

See summaries of reviews below, download full reviews and podcasts etc on the NEWS page, and listen to excerpts on the SOUND page.

I hope you will enjoy your visit!

Anne Mette

The double album "Best of the West + Many Places" was released on April 22. Some quotes from the press:

"Bassist/composer Anne Mette Iversen shows a masterful reach across jazz and classical music in "Best of the West", the sumptuous suite that opens this two-disc set." ... "Iversen merges her own inventive quartet with the string ensemble 4Corners in a beautiful, shape-shifting pas de deux, each half of the double-quartet twining about the other in a breathtaking dialogue. Leaving the strings behind for the second disc, Iversen's group alternates between forecful postbop themes, aching ballads and darting, slippery grooves." - Forest Dylan Bryant, JazzTimes, Aug '08

"Few other arrangers can deter schmaltz when putting strings to swing. And even fewer possess her sense for dulcet harmonies and exquisitely developed form — the patient listener is rewarded with a probing, big-R Romantic, strings-only cadenza at the end. Rarer still is the mind that could put it all together in a way that proclaims itself as the work of an improvising musician. Beauty may be hard to find in jazz, but as Iversen proves, that doesn't mean it's dormant in familiar elements, waiting to be expressed." - Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR Music, May '08

"While all of the double quartet compositions are excellent, "North (Presto)" is absolutely electrifying. In place of a catchy jazz head, a la Art Blakey, Iversen offers a frenetic Bartok-like unison string riff, ornately framing the jazz band's passages. The second disc, "Many Places", showcases the talents of John Ellis (saxophones), Danny Grissett (piano), and Otis Brown III (drums) on nine adventurous tunes with plenty of room for superb solos." - Ron Netsky, Rochester City Newspaper, July '08

"Bursting with creativity" ... "A nice ear-opener for fans looking for a challenging, new composer." - Chris Spector, Midwest Records

"Both discs area a creative succes, and both are enjoyable demonstrations of what Iversen has to offer an as acoustic bassist, composer, producer and arranger." - Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

"An intelligent blend of classical and jazz componenets" ... "This music has tension and resolution, has complex melodies that don't just serve as springboard for solos." - Richard Kamins, Hartford Courant

"By turns rhapsodic and pulsing, it's a most impressive package." - Paul Blair, Hot House

JazzTimes concert review of Anne Mette Iversen Quartet at Smalls (NYC) in Jan '08":

"A classically trained pianist, Iversen's intelligent writing style organically balances intricate, through-composed ensemble playing and wide-open improvisation in a compelling chamberjazz aesthetic."..."This sharp outfit is definitely one to check out". - Bill Milkowski

Less recent news:

"This Is My House" has been added to www.radioIOjazz.com, - to receive a complimentary 30-day Soundpass, please send me an email!

Please check out The Brooklyn Jazz Underground which I am a member of. This is an exciting musical collaborative of 10 individual Brooklyn-based bandleaders joining forces promoting our individual bands and projects.