Annelise Zamula – tenor sax, flute, clarinet.
Brett Carson – piano.
Jason Levis – drums.
Bill Noertker – contrabass, compositions.

Tonight Noertker’s Moxie will be debuting some selections
from a work-in-progress—a series of odd little ditties inspired by Samuel Beckett’s odd little novel Watt.

The show will be recorded in anticipation of an upcoming “Noertker’s Moxie Live at Bird and Beckett” CD.

Bassist/composer Bill Noertker has been active in the Bay Area jazz and avant-garde scene since the late 1980s. Since 2001, he has lead his own ensemble, Noertker’s Moxie, as a forum for compositions inspired by visual art, architecture, poetry, cinema, and sculpture.
These compositions provide a framework for improvisation
that is both melodic and textural; with an emphasis on
creative, free-ranging interplay amongst the musicians.

Moxie has released sixteen CDs on the Edgetone Records label,
including the recent Billville trilogy.
http://www.noertker.com/

from Ken Waxman’s recent review of the Billville trilogy:
“Noertker has composed pieces for the groups based on his appreciation of visual artists, poets, architects and sculptors. By definition not programmatic like some of his other discs, the Billville trilogy still touches on various themes and genres. With the bass player’s steady but fluid pulse gripping metrical nuances, horizontal cadences are always preserved. That leaves the definition of Noertker’s work to the horn players. The most prominent among them is tenor/alto saxophonist and flutist Annelise Zamula, who is featured on the majority of tracks. A former member of the Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet, she now plays with numerous Bay Area groups. Moving among her horns, her alto sax riffs and asides during “McMuggles” contribute to its buoyant evolution as a circus-music. Her tenor saxophone output on “Walking on Blue Eggshells” is a melancholy intensification of the squeaking and buzzing bowed double bass intro, while her undulating flutters create a secondary reed arch that connects with rugged sul tasto string rubs. On “More Fun”, pianist Brett Carson demonstrates his skill as he personifies the tune title. Light fingered, but with echoes of Stride, his key clips and string plinks later pick up a Latin tinge as he rides on Jason Levis’ percussive pitter patter and rim shots and harmonizes with Zamula’s refreshed slides, slurs and split tones. Opening up his music to all sorts of sounds, while maintaining a groove and more importantly a sense of humor, Noertker has collated a triple-threat of notable music. With so many tracks from so many varied sessions, it’s impossible to choose among them. Maybe all should be investigated.”