November 5, 2006
at All Souls at Sundown:

Magali Souriau, piano
Chris Cheek, saxophone • Matt Pavolka, bass
and the poetry of Lisel Mueller

 

“One of the most original orchestral jazz composers of our time—astonishing music.”

— Ben Ratliff, New York Times

“Magali Souriau was first noticed as the leader of a gorgeous big band, but her trio shows that she’s an equally astounding pianist and small-group leader. Souriau’s drummerless trio is optimum for this theater setting; the dynamics of tenorist Chris Cheek and bassist Matt Pavolka come across crystal clear with no amplification whatsoever.”

— K. Leander Williams, Time Out New York

One of our most celebrated poets, Lisel Mueller is the daughter of a German intellectual whose opposition to Hitler forced the family to flee to America in 1939. She received the National Book Award for The Need to Hold Still (1981) and the Pulitzer Prize for Alive Together (1996). Her poetry is a testament to the miraculous power of language to interpret and transform experiences we all have in common: sorrow, tenderness, desire and mortality.