SARAH CHAKSAD QUARTET

For over a decade, Sarah Chaksad has enriched the European jazz scene with medium to large ensembles. The Swiss alto and soprano saxophonist and composer is internationally acclaimed for her productions and concerts. “The concert was a real triumph. Chaksad's writing and arranging is first class and the enthusiasm shown by the band was very evident,” wrote Jazzwise in January 2023 about a concert in Iceland. Jazz Thing noted in 2019: “Sarah Chaksad’s pieces skillfully juggle insistent motifs, muted sounds, and gentle layering,” while Jazzpodium highlighted her “ingenious compositional techniques, with numerous motivic cross-references within the pieces, development-like thematic processing, and finely chiseled, fully composed backgrounds for the improvisations.” Die Weltwoche attested to Chaksad “a distinctive, subtle musical voice,” drawing comparisons to George Gruntz and Mathias Rüegg, while Rondo praised: “Her strength lies in differentiated, carefully crafted, and thoughtfully conceived scores in which she plays virtuously with the tonal colors of her ensemble.”

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Now, Sarah Chaksad surprises once again with new compositions and arrangements for her new quartet. She writes music that is both powerful and deeply expressive. In this smaller format, and through the selected musicians, her pieces gain an additional esprit—more urgency, heightened energy, and intensity. Here, where individuality plays a much greater role and comes more strongly to the fore than in an orchestra, and through the transformations her pieces undergo at the hands of these distinctive musical personalities, Sarah Chaksad’s music truly takes flight: rhythmically vibrant, melodically rich, and full of surprising twists and combinations.

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LINE-UP

Sarah Chaksad  Saxophon und Komposition / CH

Album Ormegard  Gitarre / SE

Dominique Girod  Bass / CH

Iago Fernandez  Schlagzeug / ES

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