Updated: July 31, 2024
Born: November 5, 1965
As a pianist, composer bandleader and accompanist, Anne Sajdera is a creative force whose music encompasses an unusually far-flung array of traditions. With musical roots spanning the globe, she melds American and Brazilian jazz to her training in European classical music, creating an utterly personal sound that’s melodically verdant, harmonically sophisticated and rhythmically compelling. Her first release, Azul (Bijuri Records, 2012), was co-produced by Ray Obiedo and featured a performance from percussion legend Airto Moreira, earning a spot on JAZZIZ Magazines Top Ten Critic’s Poll for 2012, and inclusion in Latin Jazz Corner’s Great Latin Jazz Albums for the same year. Her most recent release, New Year (Bijuri Records, 2018), features two composer/instrumentalists from Prague, a special guest appearance by the renowned sax player Bob Mintzer, as well as some of the finest musicians from the SF Bay Area. Also produced by Ray Obiedo, it was chosen by Down Beat Magazine for the December 2018 Editor’s Pick list, and can be heard on jazz radio stations throughout the US. She has performed in many of the Bay Area’s most frequented venues including The California Jazz Conservatory, Herbst Theater, Piedmont Piano Company and SFJAZZ. In 2020, she performed with Hindustani master violinist Kala Ramnath for the Global Fusion concert in Dubai. Sajdera’s newest release, It’s Here (Bijuri Records, 2024), will be released on September 20, 2024. Crowdfunded and supported in part by a grant from Intermusic SF, the new album features stellar performances from San Francisco Bay Area jazz greats, as well as the fiery Czech horn duo from her 2018 release.
Awards
Musical Grant Award from InterMusic SF 2018
Jazz Station Blog's Best Jazz of 2018
Number 5 for Acoustic Piano 2018, Jazz Station Blog Jazz Magazine's 2012
Top Ten Critic's Poll: Azul Latin Jazz Corner's Great Latin Jazz Albums, 2012
Number 5 for Best New Talent 2012, Jazz Station Blog
Gear
Pleyel, P124 Upright, Nord Electro 3.
Tags
Pianist-Composer Anne Sajdera Brings A Renewed Lyrical Perspective To 'It's Here,' Due September 20 On Bijuri Records
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Pianist/composer Anne Sajdera takes an introspective turn on It’s Here, her third album, set to be released September 20 on Bijuri Records. The recording features five originals and three covers that juxtapose wistfulness for the past with an embrace of the present, on which the Bay Area–based Sajdera works with a wide-ranging assemblage of musicians whose core comprises bassist Gary Brown and drummer Deszon Claiborne. The title It’s Here comes from the revelation Sajdera experienced after writing the eponymous track, ...
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Pianist Anne Sajdera Celebrates Creative Renewal, Cross-Cultural Inspiration With "New Year," Set For Nov. 2 Release
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Anne Sajdera’s remarkable acumen as both a pianist and a composer finds rejuvenation on New Year, set for November 2 release on her own Bijuri Records. The album hits close to home for Sajdera—her ancestral home, that is, of the Czech Republic and its storied capital, Prague. A 2014 trip to Europe’s “Golden City” was the catalyst for the album’s creation. Sajdera’s journey wasn’t planned as a musical one. While in Prague, however, she encountered trumpeter/flugelhornist Miroslav Hloucal and alto ...
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"Azul," Debut Recording by San Francisco Pianist/Composer Anne Sajdera, Due for Release 4/17
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Pianist/composer Anne Sajdera has long been an invaluable part of the San Francisco Bay Area Brazilian music scene—as leader of her own band Pelo Mar and member of ensembles such as Rio Thing and the award-winning Bat Makumba. Her much-anticipated debut Azul, which will be released April 17 by her label, Bijuri Records, highlights her exquisite touch, rhythmic acuity, and melodic resourcefulness front and center. Sajdera (sazh-dair-uh), who co-produced the CD with veteran guitarist/composer Ray Obiedo, utilizes her dynamic trio ...
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About New Year
“…compelling, melodious compositions” - Bobby Reed, DownBeat Magazine
“What Sajdera builds with [her] masterful technique...is sturdy post-bop constructs.” - Suzanna Lorge, DownBeat Magazine
About Azul
"…a jazz samba album that shows the creative breadth & beauty of a San Francisco Charmer." - Marc Myers, JazzWax
"…it's a wonderful experience listening to her precise execution and wonderful technique" - Robert Carraher, The Dirty Lowdown
Wayne Shorter
saxophone
Kenny Garrett
saxophone, alto
Herbie Hancock
piano
Roy Hargrove
trumpet
Wynton Kelly
piano
