Anat Fort

From an early age, pianist and composer Anat Fort demonstrated a fluid command of jazz, classical traditions, and subtle Middle Eastern inflections. Born in Israel, she began classical studies at five; her enduring interest in improvisation prompted enrollment in the jazz curriculum at New Jersey’s William Paterson University. After completing that program in 1996, she relocated to New York, where she pursued improvisation lessons with Paul Bley and composition studies with Harold Seletsky. Orchard Records issued her debut recording, the atmospheric Peel, in 1999. Material captured in 2004 with drummer Paul Motian, bassist Ed Schuller, and clarinetist Perry Robinson later surfaced on ECM Records in 2007 under the title A Long Story. Remaining an active composer and arranger, Fort continues to reside in New York and performs with her Anat Fort Trio, featuring bassist Gary Wang and drummer Roland Schneider.