Joanna Wallfisch and Dan Tepfer Album Release

CD Release of "The Origin of Adjustable Things"

Hailed by the great Fred Hersch as “a real discovery—a first-rate musician in every way,” singer-songwriter Joanna Wallfisch has built an impressive profile since her move to New York from London in 2012. She takes a bold step forward in her creative journey with The Origin of Adjustable Things, a stark and expressive duo album with rising piano master Dan Tepfer. In the mysterious poetry of her lyrics, the freshness of his harmonic choices and the expansiveness of their sonic palette, Wallfisch and Tepfer explore a musical universe of their own making. Combining Tepfer’s “exceptional poise” (New York Times) and Joanna’s “sublime voice” (The Telegraph) the duo has been described as “stylish, rapturous and original” (Jazz in London).

Joanna Wallfisch:
Joanna Wallfisch,"a poetic writer with an uncommonly versatile voice" (Corinna dFW, critic for the NY Times) moved to New York from her native London in 2012. She has fashioned a musical identity of her own, drawing on jazz, theater, cabaret, dance, performance art and other disciplines. She plays piano and flute, works extensively with live vocal looping, and has even been known to do skillful maneuvers on a trapeze while singing and playing ukulele onstage. Her debut CD Wild Swan featured jazz talents on the order of Rob Garcia, Joe Martin and Sam Newsome. Her 2015 follow-up, The Origin of Adjustable Things (Sunnyside), is an intricate, sonically enveloping duo project with acclaimed pianist Dan Tepfer. Hailing from an immediate and extended family of accomplished musicians (her mother a baroque violinist, father a cellist, one brother a film composer and conductor, the other an opera singer and cellist), Wallfisch earned a Masters in Jazz Performance from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2012. She has since had the opportunity to work with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as part of Chorale Le Chateau, directed by the Grammy-nominated Damien Sneed, and has also appeared with the Lee Konitz Quartet. Other notable collaborators include Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, bassist Chris Tordini, vibraphonist/percussionist James Shipp, pianist Glenn Zaleski and drummer Colin Stranahan.In addition to her output as a solo artist, Wallfisch has done work for film soundtracks—her song "Satellite" features on new movie Pressure, starring Danny Huston, while other credits include All the Beautiful Things (Sundance), Desert Dancer, Dear Wendy, Summer in February, and also commercials.

Dan Tepfer:
Born in Paris to American parents, “tremendously gifted” (LA Times) pianist-composer Dan Tepfer has translated his bi-cultural identity into an exploration of music that ignores stylistic bounds. His 2011 Goldberg Variations / Variations, which pairs his performance of Bach’s work with improvised variations of his own, has received broad praise as a “riveting, inspired, fresh musical exploration” (New York Times). He has worked with the leading lights in jazz, including extensively with saxophone luminary Lee Konitz, while releasing seven albums as a leader. As a composer, he is a recipient of the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for works including Concerto for Piano and Winds, premiered in the Prague Castle with himself on piano, and Solo Blues for Violin and Piano, premiered at Carnegie Hall. Bringing together his undergraduate studies in astrophysics with his passion for music, he is currently working on integrating computer-driven algorithms into his improvisational approach. Awards include first prize and audience prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition, first prize at the East Coast Jazz Festival Competition, and the Cole Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association. His recent soundtrack for the independent feature Movement and Location was voted Best Original Score at the 2014 Brooklyn Film Festival.