Stepdance

Liner Notes:

This project was born as a tribute to composers and musicians who have played a particularly significant role in our formation as artists; a way of giving back, through interpretation, the inspiration and knowledge received from those who have shaped our journey.

All the composers featured are both performers and creators, with strong roots in classical and jazz, and a shared openness to transcultural influences. Bryars began as a (free) jazz bassist before moving into the experimental world of the 1960s/'70s, and his music reflects that: a grounding in improvisation combined with a distinctive voice marked by restraint, subtlety, and a deep sense of lyricism.

Corea moved fluidly between jazz, fusion, and classical, while Laginha, also a jazz pianist, draws on Brazilian, Indian, African, pop, and rock traditions. Fazıl Say bridges East and West, combining Western classical forms with Turkish folk idioms, rhythmic dances, and the spontaneity of oral traditions. While, D'Almeida rejects stylistic boundaries altogether, moving between chromaticism, atonality, cabaret, urban song, and even American cocktail piano.

His piece here gives our album its title, evoking the 'stepdance' that emerges when different genres encounter and transform one another.

The saxophone and piano are central to this project, not only as instruments but as voices in dialogue. Both Bryars and Laginha have long histories of working with singers, and that influence resonates here: the saxophone sings, the piano responds, and together they create a living conversation that is both intimate and expansive.

Improvisation, too, runs like an undercurrent through this repertoire - not always explicit, but present as a shared background and instinct among all these composers. It brings a sense of openness and risk, a freedom to draw from diverse sources without compromising identity.

The result is a repertoire that resists categories, transcends convention, and expands the horizons of what is often labelled "classical saxophone chamber music."

In bringing together these composers, each with a unique voice yet a shared openness, we celebrate music as dialogue across traditions, identities, and times - a conversation that continues in our own playing. Our voices reflect not only the teachings we have received, but also the blend of our duo: English, Russian, Portuguese, and Italian heritage, and backgrounds that span classical, choral, orchestral, improvisation, singer-songwriter and jazz. In this way, the project becomes not only a tribute to those who have inspired us, but also a portrait of who we are as musicians today.

Our recording was made possible thanks to the hospitality of Steingraeber in Bayreuth. Touring their factory, we were privileged to witness firsthand how each piano is entirely handcrafted from over 20,000 parts with meticulous attention across four floors. The dedication, passion, and constant innovation behind each instrument shine through in the remarkable sound of these artisan piano's. To witness this process was to be reminded that the instrument itself is part of the music: its sound carries the imprint of that dedication, and playing it becomes a way of honouring both the craft and the art it serves.

Alexandra Tchernakova & Manuel Teles

Credits:

Recorded in the Kammermusiksaal, Steingraeber, Bayreuth, February 2025, on a Steingraeber Concert Grand E. Soprano (tracks 8, 10), Alto and Tenor (tracks 1, 11) saxophones are featured.

Engineering, Editing and Mastering Louis McGuire | Assistant Engineer Roland Bolz | Producer Alexandra Tchernakova

Executive Producers for GB Records Anna Tchernakova, Gavin Bryars

Publishers Schott Music, Zen-On Music, AVA Musical Editions | Cover Design Alexandra Tchernakova | Photography Andrés Pazmiño Pástor | Assistant Photographer Edoardo Montaccini | Wardrobe (for Alexandra Tchernakova) courtesy of Antonio Riva

A GB Records Production Licensed to Zaleski Enterprises Ltd. Distributed by Proper Music UK. BCGBCD36 — Made in UK (P) & (C) 2025 GB Records.