Artists | Lotte Anker (DK)

Artist’s website: lotteanker.com


Lotte Anker appears in:

Lotte Anker (born 1958 in Copenhagen) is a Danish jazz saxophonist, and composer.
As a child and young she studied classical piano but took up the saxophone and improvised music in 1980, primarily influenced through the music of John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter but also the more experimental jazzscene in Scandinavia at that time. She has studied music at the Copenhagen University from 1980-84 and in the 80’s participated in several courses and workshops lead by e.g.: Joe Henderson, David Liebman, John Tchicai, Marilyn Mazur, David Murray. As a composer she is mostly selftaught but has a degree in composition from Rhytmic Music Conservatory, Cph. Compositionclass led by Bob Brookmeyer and with assisting guest teachers Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgren, Svend Hvidtfeldt-Nielsen ao.

In 1988 she formed her own quartet with pianoplayer Mette Petersen: Lotte Anker/Mette Petersen Quartet. In 92 the quartet transformed into a quintet with Norwegian trumpetplayer Nils-Petter Molvær.
In 1995 she became a member of the free improvising trio Anker, Friis, Poulsen (with Hasse Poulsen, guitar and Peter Friis-Nielsen, bass).
In 1996-2013, together with trombonist and composer Ture Larsen, she was co-leader of the 12-piece orchestra Copenhagen Art Ensemble. The band has played new Danish music and done projects and tours with: Tim Berne, Django Bates, John Tchicai, Marilyn Mazur, The Zapolski Quartet, Mats Gustafsson, Marc Ducret.
In 1997 Anker formed a trio with Marilyn Crispell and Marilyn Mazur. The collaboration with Crispell has continued through the years in various formations: as duo, trio and quartet.

In 2003 was formed the trio anker, taborn, cleaver with pianoplayer Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver.

In 2006 was established the quintet Sonographic July (with Tim Berne, Sylvie Courvoisier, Ikue Mori, Tom Rainey) and also a trio Anker, Courvoisier, Mori.

In 2010 she was invited to do a special project at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and at Wundergrund Festival which resulted in the forming of the 8-piece-group What River Ensemble. WRE includes also: Phil Minton, Anna Klett, Garth Knox, Jesper Egelund, Fred Frith, Kim Myhr, Ikue Mori, Chris Cutler.

Other recent group collaborations are: Anker, Leandre, Strid (with Joelle Leandre and Raymond Strid), Quartet (with Johannes Bauer, Clayton Thomas, Paul Lovens). Anker, Frith, Mori (with Fred Frith and Ikue Mori).

Besides working with own groups Lotte Anker has been a member of various Danish/Scandinavian groups e.g.: Marilyn Mazurs Primi Band, Two Bass-Hit, Saxmachine (saxophonequartet), Jazzgroup 90, Art-Out, Ictus, Mokuto, Konvoj-Art.

She also collaborated and toured with Peter Brotzmann, Miya Masaoka, Michael Formanek, Tim Berne, Marc Ducret, Dylan van der Schyff, Paal Nilssen-Love, Herb Robertson, Arve Henriksen, Anders Jormin, Sten Sandell, Andrew Cyrille, Fred Frith, Benoit Delbecq, Wilbert de Joode, Thomas Lehn, Paul Lovens, Okkyung Lee, Fred Lonberg-Holm ao.