Soul In Plain Sight

When Alexander Hawkins played at the Jazzfest Berlin in a duo with the American trumpeter Wadada leo Smith, he met the saxophonist angelika Niescier. Niescier was playing at the festival with her New York Trio with bassist Christopher Tordini and drummer Tyshawn Sorey ("The Berlin Concert", Intakt CD 305). Niescier has also been honored in Berlin with the albert Mangelsdorff Prize, Germany's most prestigious jazz award. Hawkins is fascinated by Niescier's saxophone playing, and Niescier in turn is ardent about Hawkins' music. They stand on the same ground - both have their roots in jazz, and both love the jazz avant-garde of Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor. Two technically skilled instrumentalists with sparkling temperament, drive and joy in experimentation. After several duo concerts, the studio album by Niescier and Hawkins, recorded at the loft in Cologne, is now available. The amer ican jazz critic Stephanie Jones writes in the liner notes: "Soul in Plain Sight reveals layers of mutual navigation. Angelika Niescier and alexander Hawkins court similarities and delight in differences... buoying and challenging each other's inclinations, the artists navigate shared sound with compassion and nuance."