Read a selection of performances and CD reviews published in newspapers, magazines, art blogs, and online music publications.
Reviews
All About Jazz: New York @ Night
by Kurt Gottschalk
Published in All About Jazz – New York
New York, NY, USA
Laura Andel works in mostly composed pieces for large ensembles and so the opportunities to hear her work are rare. But following notable recordings and performances of her SomnabulisT and In::tension:. over the last few years, her new Doble Mano for nonet was a major statement from the young composer.
Wire Magazine: In::Tension:. (Rossbin RS 022)
by Keith Moline
Published by Wire Magazine
London, UK
Buenos Aires born New York resident Andel is a composer and conductor, who assembles large ensemble of players from various disciplines to perform her music. Following on from similar work on 2004’s SomnambulisT album, In::tension:. sees Andel overseeing her ensemble’s deft mix of interpretation and improvisation, resulting in an extremely entertaining blend of avant rock, jazz and classical elements.
Jazz Weekly Magazine: SomnambulisT (RT 9322)
by Ken Waxman
Published by Jazz Weekly Magazine
USA
Argentinean-born, she’s a woodwind player who first received a degree in tango performance in Buenos Aires, then studied jazz composition and film music in Boston, and has since written for large and small ensembles in Boston, New York, Germany and Venezuela. Cinematic, with swathes of jazz and South American rhythms and quirky orchestral instrumentation, Somnanbulist is a nine-part, 46-minute suite that tries to compress all her influences and studies into a definitive whole.
The Brooklyn Rail: New Tango Update
by Alan Lockwood
Published by The Brooklyn Rail
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Vividly atmospheric, Doble Mano functions as an emotional scenography (a terrain implied by titles such as Salgán’s Buenos Aires at Three in the Morning and Piazzolla’s Tango: Zero Hour). Andel, however, only suggests tango; gamelan and motoric minimalism course just as readily through her work.
Cadence Magazine: SomnambulisT (Red Toucan RT 9322)
by David Lewis
Published by Cadence Magazine
USA
Beginning with the eerie drift of “Entering” and its ominous bass-line pulse, this minimalist orchestral project is one of the most impressive large ensemble recordings that I have heard in quite some time. Central to the project is the music of a remarkable new composer, Laura Andel, who also conducts this work.
Jazz Word: Doble Mano (Rossbin RS 029)
by Ken Waxman
Published by Jazz Word
New York, NY, USA
Doble Mano, whose title reflects the twinning of different orchestral groupings, raises the ante further by interjecting into the performance characteristic sonic fragments from the South American bandoneon and Indonesian gamelan.