Anat Fort
Israeli-born pianist and composer Anat Fort began studying classical music at the age of five and grew up listening to 80s pop and soaking up the diverse sounds of the Middle East, all of which nourished the rich kaleidoscope of colours and influences that would become a stylistic signature. Though a natural improviser from a very young age, it was not until her late teens that she discovered the appeal of jazz. This fascination led her to study improvisation on the jazz program at William Paterson University in New Jersey, then move to New York to pursue her studies in composition with Harold Seletsky and in improvisation, for a time, with Paul Bley.
Paul Motian brought Anat Fort to ECM’s attention, and played on her first album for the label, A Long Story, recorded in 2004. The CD came out in 2007 and received outstanding reviews [...]
Israeli-born pianist and composer Anat Fort began studying classical music at the age of five and grew up listening to 80s pop and soaking up the diverse sounds of the Middle East, all of which nourished the rich kaleidoscope of colours and influences that would become a stylistic signature. Though a natural improviser from a very young age, it was not until her late teens that she discovered the appeal of jazz. This fascination led her to study improvisation on the jazz program at William Paterson University in New Jersey, then move to New York to pursue her studies in composition with Harold Seletsky and in improvisation, for a time, with Paul Bley.
Paul Motian brought Anat Fort to ECM’s attention, and played on her first album for the label, A Long Story, recorded in 2004. The CD came out in 2007 and received outstanding reviews worldwide; John Diliberto wrote: “she shares Keith Jarrett's gift for deeply integrated ensemble play … she's quietly establishing herself as a composer of graceful beauty and an improvisor of daring exploration”. The success of this first ECM disc was followed in 2010 by And If, featuring Fort’s long-running trio with bassist Gary Wang and drummer Roland Schneider. It was selected as one of the Ten Best Jazz CDs of the year by Slate magazine, which described it as “turbulent but spare, knife-edged but tender, brimming with melodic hooks that loop in sinuous shapes and a slightly klezmeric insouciance”.
In preparation is an album on which the Anat Fort Trio is joined by the great Italian reedman Gianluigi Trovesi.
After 17 years in the United States, Fort returned to Israel in 2009. In recent years she has taken on projects performing her favourite Israeli music in jazz settings. She teaches improvisation and is currently pursuing a PhD in composition at the Bar-Ilan University.
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