Hailey Niswanger - PDX Soul (2015)

Most artists, if they re lucky, wait many years to rack up the kind of rave reviews that Portland, Oregon-based alto and soprano saxophonist Hailey Niswanger already boasted in her teens. Nat Hentoff, one of the most renowned jazz critics of all-time, wrote that Hailey plays with remarkable authority and drive considering her relative youth, and with the élan and dynamics of an unmistakable pro, while the prestigious All About Jazz website, reviewing Confeddie, Niswanger s 2009 debut album, said she and her group bring the goods on a program refreshingly free of the typical chestnuts and brimming with melodic invention...Niswanger pulls no punches. Now, with the release of PDX Soul, Hailey Niswanger takes her artistry to the next level. Rich in funky rhythms, instantly hooky melodies and sophisticated songcraft several of its eight tracks are written and arranged by Niswanger and brimming with fine-tuned improvisational acumen, PDX Soul is the showcase that Hailey has been building toward. Working with a collective of superb players, Hailey moves beyond the rising star designation that s been affixed to her since she came on the scene and proves one of the most innovative and talented young musicians in contemporary jazz.