Anne Mette Iversen                 

The prolific and critically acclaimed Danish bassist and composer Anne Mette Iversen, has lived and worked out of New York City since 1998. Ms Iversen has ten releases out as a leader, and she regularly tours in Europe and the US.

Ms. Iversen leads 5 groups. Her long running Anne Mette Iversen Quartet & Quartet+1, the Berlin-based Ternion Quartet , the Poetry of Earth project and the group Double Life which consists of above-mentioned quartet+1 and the string quartet 4Corners.

Ms. Iversen has worked extensively as sideman and performed with world class musicians in and out of New York City and Berlin.  She has curated and performed at events for the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington DC and for The Danish Consulate General in NYC. Ms. Iversen holds a BFA degree in Jazz Performance from The New School, NYC, and is a former classical piano major at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Denmark. Her work as a composer also expands to classical music and cross-over between jazz and classical; among others with recent works for choir, string group and jazz bass. She is a founder and current member of the musician’s organisation Brooklyn Jazz Underground, and Professor of Composition and Arrangement at the Institute of Music at Osnabrueck University for Applied Sciences, DE.

Ms. Iversen is considered an important voice as a composer, leading the way for modern, contemporary jazz composition, and was 'Composer in Residence 2016' for Norrbotten Big Band (S).

www.annemetteiversen.com

Anne Mette Iversen Quartet+1: Racing a Butterfly ( May 15, 2020)

What attracts us to certain artists? What compelling qualities do they posses that enthrall and delight us? Is it virtuosity, creativity or longevity? Or could it be a stark, endearing humanness inherent in their music? Perhaps a feeling of self-knowledge and self-assurance that rings true in every note of every composition. For many fans of bassist/composer/bandleader Anne Mette Iversen it is all of the above, and they should be quite pleased at the announcement of her stunning new recording, Racing a Butterfly, featuring her Quartet +1, Iversen’s longest running group. The band, sinking their teeth (not to mention their hearts and souls) into nine new Iversen gems, is clearly engaged in the fun, the enjoyment, the playfulness and the lightness that can only come when you are utterly comfortable on your instrument, and in the situation you’re playing music in (the group’s longevity is clearly one of the major factors). Having out-and-out faith in the bandleader/composer’s vision doesn’t hurt either, and that is clearly the case here.

Anne Mette Iversen’s Ternion Quartet: Invincible Nimbus ( 2019)

Ternion Quartet’s sophomore album, Invincible Nimbus which showcases an ensemble of highly-creative, accomplished artists utterly in tune and musically enamored with one another, stretching out their seemingly inexhaustible imaginations, is about selflessness and being open to dialogue. Iversen elaborated that, “In music there is no room for selfishness. Music only lives and thrives when a dialogue is present. Only by giving room to others, by listening and by taking part in the conversation, can we lift ourselves out of the needy, greedy, self-centered orientation that threatens to grab us all. This is evident to all of us who are intimately familiar with music - and this is what we all intuitively respond to and love about music. My hope is that music can inspire more people, and especially people who have the power to make a difference in our current state of the world, to listen, omit selfishness and to respect other ideas than their own.”

Anne Mette Iversen Quartet+1: Round Trip (2017)

Originally the meaning of ‘round trip’ was to return to the starting point via a different road. Anne Mette explains, “when I wrote the tune 'Round Trip’, it was about a deep and heartfelt wish I had to return to my two sons, who I had left in another country for a few days. As this album and this music came about, ‘round trip’ then became a key idea for the album. In the sense of coming home, it describes the feeling I have every time I play with this group. It refers to the many (round) trips we have taken together over the years, but also how much we have grown as a band, musicians and persons, and how we, no matter where each one of us is placed in the world, get together to make music and share our experiences. Even on a personal level I see the many round trips in our journey through life and music.” Round Trip is simply jazz on a high level, a feeling of unity and togetherness that can be otherwise hard to find. 

Anne Mette Iversen’s Ternion Quartet: Ternion Quartet (2017)

The Ternion Quartet plays music that is energetic and fun. Like fireworks; the music offers a tremendous display of colors and moods. Rooted in the tradition of jazz, swing and improvisation, the compositions give ample room for the virtuosic improvisers to express their creative personality; and with the experience, maturity and flexibility of the musicians the music can change direction on the fly and is constantly new, fresh and renewed again. Compositionally the music is based on a linear and horizontal concept, allowing the individual instruments' melodies to conduct the harmonic map, whenever that is desired. The aim is for the full emotional spectrum of being human to be expressed by these outstanding musicians and improvisers. A

Anne Mette Iversen Quartet: This Is My House (2006) & Many Places (2008) & Milo Songs (2011)

The Anne Mette Iversen Quartet has played and performed together for over eight years. Consisting of amazing musicians and improvisors; saxophonist John Ellis, pianist Danny Grissett and drummer Otis Brown III, plus Iversen herself, the band includes some of the most sought-after young musicians on the jazz scene today. Together they have recorded and released This Is My House, Best of the West + Many Places and Milo Songs that have all been unanimously received with high praise from all corners of the world. 

Double Life: So Many Roads (2014) & Best of the West (2008)

Best of the West (2008)

In 2008 Ms. Iversen and Double Life released the 'jazz-symphony' "Best of the West" in 4 movements: East, South, West and North. This music expresses a variety in feeling and emotion that bring into attention the multifaceted world we live in; one which requires open-mindedness and a focus on communication between cultures as a central ingredient in our lives.

Unlike most meetings of jazz and classical music, where one style performs a subservient role, or both styles are diluted beyond recognition, "Best of the West" manages to present each group and style at it's most compelling, while illustrating the beauty of the interactive process and the mutual support.

"Best of the West" was featured on A Blog Supreme / NPR Jazz as part of the article "5 Great Works Of Modern Chamber Jazz" - alongside amazing musicians and composers Wayne Shorter, Brad Mehldau, Chico Hamilton and Dave Douglas.

The movement "West (Menuet)" was selected Song of the Day on NPR Music, in May 2008: 

"Few other arrangers can deter schmaltz when putting strings to swing. And even fewer possess her sense for dulcet harmonies and exquisitely developed form — the patient listener is rewarded with a probing, big-R Romantic, strings-only cadenza at the end. Rarer still is the mind that could put it all together in a way that proclaims itself as the work of an improvising musician. Beauty may be hard to find in jazz, but as Iversen proves, that doesn't mean it's dormant in familiar elements, waiting to be expressed."                                                                                   - Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR Music

Poetry of Earth: Poetry of Earth (double album) (2012)

On March 27, 2012, Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records released, Poetry of Earth, the newest musical creation from the heart, soul, and life of bassist/composer, Anne Mette Iversen. This double CD is a collection of art songs: eighteen English and Danish poems set to a unique combination of extended composition and jazz improvisation. The Poetry of Earth musicians; vocalists Maria Neckam & Christine Skou, pianist Dan Tepfer, John Ellis on tenor saxophone, clarinets and flute, and Iversen herself; are world-renowned as improvisers, and have each developed a personal sound and identity that they contribute selflessly for the realization of this singular music.

The Poetry of Earth project is very close to Iversen’s heart. The songs represent the profound outcome of an artist contemplating our existence and our relationship with nature. Iversen explains, “the overall theme for the music is nature. To me it’s obvious how nature is a big component in our lives; even if we live somewhat removed from it. Maybe because I have spent many years living in big cities and have also been able to spend extended periods of time in places where nature is especially beautiful or astonishing, and where the local lifestyle still relates to and depends on nature; the relationship between humans and nature has been emphasized and upgraded in my book. And speaking about nature I do not only mean the visible physical elements, I also think of the inner nature of our lives on earth and our existence.”