Composer and Saxophonist
Jasmine Lovell-Smith's Towering Poppies
Fortune Songs
The debut album from New Zealand saxophonist/composer Jasmine Lovell-Smith and her Brooklyn based quintet, Towering Poppies. Released on August 14, 2012.
Personnel:
Jasmine Lovell-Smith - soprano saxophone
Russell Moore - trumpet
Cat Toren - piano
Patrick Reid - bass
Kate Pittman - drums
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Press:
"Honest, intelligent chamber jazz, stark in its minimalism, gentle in its dissonance, firm in its lyricism." - JazzTimes, November 2012
"If I had to describe Lovell-Smith’s playing in one word, it would be lyrical. She lives in a space that most of us only visit occasionally." - Sam Newsome, 2015
"an auspicious debut...[Lovell Smith's] exquisite musicianship parallels an intrepid spirit" - Jazziz, Winter 2012
“a superb debut" - All About Jazz.com
“an outstanding collection of original jazz compositions..." - Utne Reader
"[A recording that will] challenge and inspire most ardent jazz fans."
"arrestingly wry and lyrical...a distinctive new voice on the soprano saxophone" -The New York City Jazz Record
"[an] impressive introduction...Tantalizing melodies, a deft use of dramatic tension, and tunes that nicely straddle the divide between new- and old-school jazz." - eMusic
"...dynamite debut..." - Stephen Graham, Jazzwise/Freelance (UK)
"...enchanting lyricism atop organic compositions..." - Bird is the Worm
"[Lovell-Smith] writes constrained but quite delightful tunes." - Graham Reid, Elsewhere (NZ)
"The music [Lovell-Smith] and the band make is often quiet in volume but intense in its emotional content" - Step Tempest
Read an interview with Jasmine on Sam Newsome's SopranoSaxTalk blog
Read an interview with Jasmine in NZ Musician Magazine: Page 1, Page 2
Listen to a radio interview with Jasmine by Richard Kamins (of Step Tempest)