Sarah Manning

“If there is to be jazz in our future, it'll be because of musicians like saxophonist and composer Sarah Manning.  She’s a player to listen to, starting right now.” –Jessica Williams 

“Sarah Manning can swing as naturally as she breathes…Manning plays – and writes – in what is unmistakably her own voice.” –Nat Hentoff 

Always the scene for cutting-edge music, The Jazz Gallery hosts the return of one its stellar practitioners, saxophonist Sarah Manning, along with her Shatter the Glass ensemble on April 24th. Featuring simpatico cohorts, pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Thomson Kneeland and drummer Kyle Struve, Manning’s project seeks to bring modern music to a wider audience through “a transparent look at a working ensemble and presentations in nontraditional venues” as well as to provide a role model and encouragement for the involvement of women and girls in jazz. A California resident when she debuted at The Jazz Gallery last August, Manning comes back as a New Yorker after relocating to the East Coast a few months ago. 

New England native Sarah Manning came early to jazz, playing in the combo at Hartford’s famed Artist Collective as a high school junior. School founder Jackie McLean encouraged her unique style as player and composer of dissonant arrangements. After attending Interlochen Arts Academy for her senior year, Sarah was accepted into the Jazz Studies Program at William Paterson College, leaving after two years to earn a degree in Women’s Studies from Smith College in Massachusetts. While in Massachusetts, she studied with Dr. Yusef Lateef, who further encouraged her search for her own voice. After moving to the Bay Area in 2002, Manning produced two albums as a composer and bandleader and performed at top area venues including Yoshi’s in Oakland and the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz. Her first release, House on Eddy Street (2004) prompted Jazz Times’ David Franklin to observe, "Sounding like no one but herself, she possesses a well-focused, slightly edgy tone that suits equally her firmly swinging, uptempo postbop excursions and her highly melodic slow-tempo explorations.” Her second album, Live at Yoshi’s: Two Rooms Same Door, which features seven new compositions performed by the same quartet, was recently released on ArtistShare. In June of 2007 she was profiled in Down Beat Magazine.  
 
Turning her attention to Shatter the Glass, Manning relocated to New York last fall. Founded in 2007 as a sponsored project of the nonprofit arts organization, Fractured Atlas, Shatter the Glass showcases Manning’s “compelling new voice, marked by a big, bracing sound and a knack for delivering angular phrases with graceful precision” (Andrew Gilbert, Contra Costa Times). A key objective of Shatter the Glass, promoted through performance and mentoring, is to eradicate the notion that women are somehow “the other” in jazz, as perpetuated by the many “women in jazz” festivals, novelty “girl groups” and events that marginalize their contributions. Her three bandmates share her passion for a democratic approach to composition and improvisation. 

Pianist Art Hirahara grew up on the West Coast also relocated to the New York Area after building his career in the Bay Area. He earned degrees in electronic and computer music from Oberlin and jazz performance at the California Institute of Arts. Today he performs with diverse artists including trumpeter Dave Douglas, vocalist Stacey Kent, singer-songwriter Erin McKeown, and Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra.  He’s a co-founder of the pan-Asian percussion group, Asian Crisis. Art has toured extensively in Asia and in 1996 served as a “jazz ambassador” in the Middle East via Arts America. 

Thomson Kneeland has one of the most eclectic resumes among modern jazz bassists. His interests and experience cover everything from swing to bop to classical, as well as Karnatic Indian classical, Balkan folk, Indonesian gamelan and heavy metal. Kneeland has contributed to over 30 recordings and has toured with Chris Potter, George Garzone, Mark Turner and (currently) with the Lynne Arriale Trio. His own ensemble, Kakala, is devoted to the fusion of composition and improvisation, with brings together influences of tango, rock, Balkan folk, chamber music and avant garde. 

Drummer Kyle Struve grew up near Green Bay, WI and received a degree in classical percussion at Lawrence University, where he was also exposed to world music, poetry and graphic design. After earning a graduate degree from SUNY Purchase, Struve was selected for the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at the Kennedy Center (2003). After relocating to New York, he has performed with Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Marcus Strickland and Ray Vega, and has worked with vocalists and rock bands. 

Shatter the stereotypes of jazz and jazz artists, and enjoy the challenging, inventive music of Shatter the Glass at the Jazz Gallery, April 24th. 

The Jazz Gallery is located at 290 Hudson Street, NY, NY. Sets on April 24th at 9 and 10:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.jazzgallery.org or by calling (212) 242-1063. More on Sarah Manning and Shatter the Glass at www.shattertheglass.org or www.sarahmanningmusic.com