M'ee Eyes

BIO/LINER NOTES/REVIEWS

(SUNDAR VISWANATHAN)

Saxophonist/Vocalist Sundar has shared the world stage with local and international artists alike over his 20 years as a professional musician. In a recent successful five-city tour of Japan, Sundar was featured as a leader with exceptional Japanese musicians. Other performances that proved rewarding included those at 'Dizzy's Club' at Lincoln Center (NYC), New York's 'Alice Tully Hall', 'The Blue Note' and 'Birdland'; the 'Montreal Bistro', 'Living Arts Center' and 'Rex Hotel' in Toronto, and the famous 'Wally's' and 'Willow Jazz Club' in Boston. Some of his musical associations include internationally known jazz artists Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie, Terry Clarke, Joe Lovano, John Hicks, Cecil McBee, Charles Tolliver Big Band, Billy Hart, Jim McNeeley and Dave Douglas. Sundar has also supported mainstream artists like Bobby Vinton, Charo, Ben Vereen, Jack Jones, Al Martino, Petula Clark and Duke Daniels of 'The Platters'.
Sundar has just released an album of original music inspired by South Asian music and Jazz that includes heavy-hitters from the Canadian and New York scene. The album features Kevin Turcotte (trumpet), Kelly Jefferson (tenor sax), David Braid (piano), Andrew Downing (bass), Anthony Michelli (drums), and Rez Abbasi (guitar).



LINER NOTES from 'HOPE and INFINITY'
By CHARLES TOLLIVER May 25, 2005


From time to time there evolves an artist whose musical gifts are unmistakable. Such is the case with multireedist and composer Sundar Viswanathan. Having met and heard Sundar some years prior in Toronto it was clear that his huge talents would bring forth the wonderful music evidenced on this recording.

Throughout this album his excellent compositional skills weave a marvelous musical story of tragedy, conflict, hope and healing. Creatively mixing the musical foundations of his birthplace of India and the modern Jazz artform, Sundar deftly intermingles each of his vignettes with engaging solos from himself and the well chosen musicians he assembled to perform his work.

With this recording Sundar Viswanathan has demonstrated that he has developed an authentic musical voice as a composer and improviser. By the way, his singing ability is as comparable.


SELECTED REVIEWS

"As Toronto played host to the International Association of Jazz Educators, there was a counter-festival afoot where the real schoolin' was taking place... The Creative Improviser's Assembly (CIA).. stretched over three nights at Oasis... The highlights were the few improvised moments of the set, a great unaccompanied sax solo by Sundar Viswanathan" David Dacks, EXCLAIM! January 30, 2003

"Mr. Viswanathan shows the full range of his talent, and his command of the instrument's history while he infuses his personal style and plays with a real depth of feeling. Like any great jazz soloist, each nuance and phrase contributes to the whole and builds with logic and passion, not unlike Eric Dolphy" Mark Kirby, (ALTAR-NATIVE (NYC on-line magazine), 1998)

"Oldfotalk is an nostalgic, meandering line presented in several attractive voicings
with Viswanathan now playing torrid soprano sax" Bob Blumenthal (BOSTON GLOBE,
Wed. November 22, 1991)