about

Sifters unites longtime friends and collaborators Jeremy Viner and Kate Gentile with guitarist/composer Marc Ducret in a serendipitous convergence offering a set of compositions from all three members. Consisting of two pieces each by Viner and Ducret and three by Gentile, Sifters intertwines three distinct voices with mutual musical interests into a compelling and complementary statement.

The music here merges jazz and new music structures with the drive and intensity of rock, transcending the customary chamber-like bassless aesthetic to frequently display a greater sonic heft. Committed and multifarious improvising connects varied, idea-rich composing, and showcases the distinct and novel approaches to musical parameters of all three group members.

Each member brings a distinctive approach to their instrument, integrating rich sonics with their collective ability to navigate complex musical ideas. Ducret’s improvising bursts forth with extremely wide-ranging and expressive ideas, idiosyncratic voicings, and a percussive approach. His rhythmic sensibility pairs uniquely with Gentile’s predilection for polyrhythmic time streams; this generates an underlying propulsion throughout much of the improvised sections. Viner demonstrates great fluidity, controlled volatility, and breadth within his improvising. His abstract melodicism finds vivid contrast and support amidst Ducret’s expansive harmonic and textural palette. Gentile’s power and sensitivity behind the drum set serve to convey a constant stream of spontaneous invention that maintains both perpetual momentum and supportive dialogue.

Jeremy Viner

Jeremy Viner is a Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer, and educator whose work spans a wide array of musical idioms. After nearly two decades in New York City, he relocated to Berlin in 2023, maintaining an active presence in both the New York and European experimental music scenes.

Viner is a long-standing member of the tenor saxophone quartet Battle Trance and the chamber minimalist ensemble Bing & Ruth, both central outlets for his interest in ensemble sound and extended musical form.

An in-demand sideman, Viner has performed internationally with ensembles led by John Hollenbeck, Steve Lehman, Tim Berne, Tyshawn Sorey, Anna Webber, Kate Gentile, and Rafiq Bhatia, among others. He has appeared at major venues and festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Big Ears, Moers Festival, Winter Jazz Festival, Jazzfest Berlin, and the London Jazz Festival, among many others.

photos from the recording by Lukas Fehling