SNAP SHOT : Tanya Kalmanovitch

Violist Tanya Kalmanovitch operates at the intersection of contemporary
jazz, classical music and free improvisation. A formidable classical
performer, she is fast building an international reputation as an innovator
on the viola, an instrument rarely heard in jazz.

On her second release with her quartet "Hut Five", Kalmanovitch leads Boston
guitarist Rick Peckham, Dublin bassist Ronan Guilfoyle, and New York drummer
Owen Howard in a provocative programme of miniature free improvisations.

Tanya Kalmanovitch explains, "Interspersed among the compositions on my 2002 recording Hut Five were a series of short collective improvisations that we called 'vignettes'. These instant compositions were a highlight of the session, and I became intrigued by the idea of recording an entire album of these miniatures."

"We had the chance to record one afternoon in June 2003, mid-way through our tour of Canadian jazz festivals. We went into the studio with a simple plan. We would each take turns starting a take, but we'd arrive at each ending spontaneously. We tried to make each take a brief and unique: a statement of a distinct soundworld. The takes were unstructured, but often one of us would suggest a single word of direction. Something like calyps. or country, or Bartok'

Drawing freely from diverse musical vocabularies, the results celebrate melody, harmony and time as much as they depart from them. Distinctive throughout is Kalmanovitch's presence on violin and viola, the quartet's considerable range and "uncanny creative chemistry" (Irish Times).