Saxophonist Niescier and pianist Weber offer six smart, challenging arrangements that consistently channel their own formidable skills as well as those of their partners: trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassist Christopher Tordini and drummer Tyshawn Sorey are all in splendid form in this stimulating release.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/troy-dosterts-top-10-of-2016-john-hollenbeck-by-troy-dostert

German saxophonist Angelika Niescier catches up with her New York friends

A couple weeks ago I was in Germany, and the end of my trip included a visit to the Moers Festival, whose reputation had been impressed upon me long ago by a series of superb live recordings made at the event (and released by its label) in the late 70s and early 80s by the likes of Fred Anderson, Philip Wilson, John Carter, Anthony Braxton, Phalanx, and Wadada Leo Smith. These days the fest isn't as thoroughly devoted to free jazz as it was when it began in 1972, but in general it does present adventurous sounds. A few years ago Moers built a permanent festival hall, which eliminated the annual expense of constructing a massive tent on the grounds, and most of the concerts are there. But one of the best things I saw during my two days happened in a nearby school as part of the event's Morning Sessions series, each of which was an ad hoc grouping intended to be a surprise to the audience.
I've been a fan of Cologne-based Polish saxophonist Angelika Niescier for quite a few years, and my admiration was cemented when she played at the Chicago Cultural Center as part of European Jazz Meets Chicago in 2012. At Moers she was partnered with bassist Yasser Morejon Pino and drummer Ruy Adrian López-Nussa, who also serve as the deft rhythm section for explosive Cuban pianist Harold López-Nussa. That pianist is a fiery performer, and together their playing bursts with high-energy pyrotechnics. With Niescier they were cooler, trusting in their rapport and focusing on a subtler but no less rewarding approach. Niescier evoked the disparate sounds of two alto greats—the bright melodies of Ornette Coleman and the airy bounce and rhythmic grace of Lee Konitz—and the trio's entirely improvised performance traversed lots of peaks and valleys, fueled by deep, organic grooves.

Earlier this year Niescier released a fantastic album with German pianist Florian Weber called NYC Five (Intakt), titled thusly because it was made in New York with drummer Tyshawn Sorey, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, and bassist Chris Tordini. Both of the Germans have worked in New York often, and the saxophonist's previous studio album, 2011's Quite Simply (Enja), was made with Sorey and bassist Tomas Morgan—as a result, this doesn't feel like a pickup session, where visiting musicians hire a top-flight band to burnish their own reputations but end up generating few creative sparks. Each of the leaders wrote half of the six tunes, and Niescier brings an aggressive, driving vibe, while Weber generally opts for a more contemplative feel. Below you can hear the album's opening cut, Niescier's "The Barn Thing," a tightly coiled burner that constantly seems on the verge of exploding but instead stays reined in throughout its series of concise solos stoked by Sorey and Tordini.

https://chicagoreader.com/blogs/german-saxophonist-angelika-niescier-catches-up-with-her-new-york-friends/

With standout releases in the last year from Mary Halvorson, Katharina Weber, Marilyn Crispell, Ingrid Laubrock, Irène Schweizer, and Sarah Buechi, Zurich’s Intakt Records has been doing the good and necessary work of highlighting female artists—not only well-established but also up-and-coming—in a historically male-dominated field (yes, despite notable exceptions and a general openness to all comers). The label builds on this precedent in early 2016 with NYC Five, from Cologne-based co-leaders Angelika Niescier and Florian Weber. Here the saxophonist and pianist (respectively) draw on New York’s deep well of cultural significance and jazz talent, recruiting trumpet player Ralph Alessi, bassist Chris Tordini, and drummer Tyshawn Sorey for an hour of intelligent and gripping music.

Belying the pastoral associations of its title, opener “The Barn Thing” is angular and driving,
with Sorey marking out a steady 7/4 quarter note pulse around which the others weave and jab. In contrast with the tune’s robust three-part head, Weber’s solo—full of tense hesitations—is wonderfully disarming. Taking the hand-off from her co-leader, Niescier’s tightly coiled phrases and upper-register explorations work with rather than against Sorey’s rhythmic simmer to escalate the track’s intensity. After an impressive turn by Alessi, Sorey himself—obviously a special drummer, in my estimation—steps forward for a climactic solo over a stuttering ostinato by the band.

The quintet excels at this kind of rhythmic complexity—mastering difficult material and making the these compositions feel comfortably worn in without losing their heat. Follow-up “And Over” is another good example, with Niescier and Alessi setting out a jaunty 5/4 phrase that suddenly shifts feel and color with the entrance of the rhythm section. Here the work of the first track is cleverly undone as the solos progressively thin and decelerate, this time towards and not away from Weber’s meditative playing. And if well maneuvered, maddeningly technical compositions themselves have lost some of their excitement, the group finds other ways to subvert expectations—for instance “The Liquid Stone,” during whose theme Niescier does no more than provide a busy, buzzing texture for simple punctuation by trumpet, piano, and bass.

On the mellower end of the spectrum, the quintet knows how to play ballads, too. “Invaded” gives Weber’s spacious, patient playing plenty of room first to breathe and then to grow as his lines build in density, inverting the contrasts of the earlier, more hectic tracks. Niescier demonstrates her range here as well with an airier, gentler approach. “Parsifal” highlights some of Alessi’s gorgeously spare and introspective playing. And Tordini gets a solo, too, very welcome but brief and cautious enough to make us wish the album did more to feature him.

Perhaps unfortunately for reviewers—though not for listeners!—at the end of the day NYC Five isn’t about aesthetic experiments or novel concepts but, unpretentious as the album title, the music itself: good writing and even better playing.

https://www.freejazzblog.org/2016/04/nyc-five-angelika-niescierflorian-weber.html

NYC Five is a beautifully constructed album of songs by one of the most extroverted saxophonists in Europe. Angelika Niescier might not be a name many are familiar with but the Cologne-based alto saxophonist inhabits many worlds seemingly at once. The music that is improvised is strikingly majestic and the written work – especially the ballad, Invaded – is likely to tear your heart out for its deep emotion and exquisite showers of notes by the pianist Florian Weber. The ubiquitous American drummer Tyshawn Sorey makes an electrifying appearance wherever he goes and this record is no exception. Watch out for the lightness and bounce of Ralph Alessi’s trumpet – the other American of repute on the album.

https://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/booksrecords2/jazzaimprovised/25936-wrong-is-right-noisy-minority-nyc-five-angelica-niescier-florian-weber-in-motion-richard-poole-marilyn-crispell-gary-peacock

Featuring Angelika Niescier on alto sax, Florian Weber on piano, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Chris Tordini on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums. Except for one quartet disc with Denman Maroney, James Ilgenfritz and Andrew Drury from not too long ago, I hadn't heard of with Ms. Niescier or Mr. Weber before this disc arrived. All six songs were written by either Ms. Niescier or Ms. Weber. Right from the opening, we know we are in for something special here. "The Barn Thing" is quick, twisted, tight and no doubt hard to navigate easily. The interplay between the sax, piano and rhythm team is extraordinary, never missing a twist or turn. In a way, I am reminded of an early Braxton quartet piece with several hairpin turns. Ms. Niescier even sounds a bit like Braxton at times when she solos. Each piece provides a different challenge as far as the construction and ever-shifting arrangements, sort of mini-suites. No easy feat and all consistently engaging. When the quartet slows down for a ballad called "Invaded", Ms. Niescier plays an exquisite solo. tasty and reflective. Ms. Weber takes an amazing piano solo on "The Liquid Stone", a difficult shape-shifting piece with both horns tightly entwined, the solo by Ralph Alessi also amazing! Throughout this disc, the rhythm team of Chris Tordini (in several bands with Chris Speed) and Tyshawn Sorey (ubiquitous drummer for nearly everyone), prove to be one of finest tag teams on the planet. Since this disc works on so many levels and remains engaging throughout, it could very well be the disc of the year - it is that great!

https://www.downtownmusicgallery.com/Main/news/Newsletter-2016-03-18.html