The New York Times calls Leif Ove Andsnes “a pianist of magisterial elegance, power, and insight,” and the Wall Street Journal names him “one of the most gifted musicians of his generation.” With his commanding technique and searching interpretations, the celebrated Norwegian pianist has won acclaim worldwide, playing concertos and recitals in the world’s leading concert halls and with its foremost orchestras, while building an esteemed and extensive discography. An avid chamber musician, he is the founding director of the Rosendal Chamber Music Festival, was co-artistic director of the Risør Festival of Chamber Music for nearly two decades, and served as music director of California’s Ojai Music Festival in 2012. He was inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame in July 2013, and received honorary doctorates from New York’s Juilliard School and Norway’s University of Bergen in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Pi Recordingsis pleased to welcome saxophonist/ flutist/ composer Anna Webber(b. 1984) as the latest addition to the label’sfamily. A 2018 Guggenheim Fellow, she has been an active performer and bandleader on the New York scene for the last decade, appearing with Matt Mitchell(A Pouting Grimace), Dan Weiss(Sixteen: Drummers Suite), and Jen Shyu(Song of Silver Geese), all on Pi, in addition to other significant releases including All Can Workfrom drummer John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble (a 2018 Grammy nominee) and Engage, upcoming from trumpeter Dave Douglas. Described by The New York Times as “unrelentingly inventive,” Webber’s own projects are clear expressions of her knotty compositional sense.
American musician with Cuban and Italian roots. As a teenager Albert Castiglia started playing guitar and realized that writing his own music was the best way to express his thoughts. His first breakthrough was when Junior Wells hired him for his touring band, so they played several world tours together. In 1997 the New Times magazine in Miami named him the “Best Blues Guitarist” and finally, in 2002, Castiglia released his debut “Burn”. In 2014 Albert Castiglia comleted Ruf's Blues Caravan beside Laurence Jones and Christina Skjolberg and released his first album on Ruf "Solid Ground". Released in 2016 on Ruf Records, Big Dog confirms that Albert is a different breed to the lightweights and arrivistes who dominate the modern music scene…
Woong San (born Kim Eun Young) is an award-winning South Korean musician, actress and TV show host. She has been a leading figure in the Jazz music scene in Korea and Japan for over a decade, having performed live over 500 times since her 1998 Japanese debut. By the end of 1998 she was a recognizable figure in both Korea and Japan, and since then, she has released six albums, garnered numerous awards and critical acclaim, and continues to tour prolifically. She is the first Korean-born musician to perform at New York City's historic Blue Note Jazz Club and has collaborated with many other well-known jazz musicians including Benny Green, Lonnie Plaxico, Rodney Green, Conrad Herwig and Suzuki Hisatsugu. WoongSan's style is a distinctive blend of jazz, blues, Latin and funk style.
“Good evening, we’re called the Velvet Underground. You’re allowed to dance, in case you didn’t know, and…uh, that’s about it. This is called ‘Waiting for the Man,’ a tender folk song from the early ’50s about love between man and subway, and I’m sure you’ll all enjoy it.” The preceding words were selected by Lou Reed as his opening salvo when the Velvet Underground took the stage of Max’s Kansas City in New York City on August 23, 1970… and, in turn, they were the words that the band’s fans heard within seconds of putting on Side One of the Velvet Underground’s first live album, Live at Max’s Kansas City, which was released 42 years ago today.