Little Bluedevil, the second suite in bassist/composer Bill Noertker's Blue Rider series, takes us on a musical journey into abstraction, reflection, and enchantment. The Blue Rider group of painters (Kandinsky, Marc, Klee) is Noertker's inspiration here. From the trance-inducing sax swirls of "White Line" to the robust sax/piano swing of "Tightrope Walker," from the angular and chromatic tonal diffusion of "Chinese Poetry" to the delicate flute/oboe lattice work of "Cats on a Red Cloth," from the soaring flute trio of "Gazelles" to the stately bass/oboe duet of "Tower of Blue Horses," the musicians of Noertker's Moxie use their rich sonic palette, and their moxie, to create a diverse and vibrant array of aural paintings.

Annelise Zamula - tenor saxophone and flute
Bill Noertker - contrabass
Amber Lamprecht - oboe
Jenny Maybee - piano
Jason Levis - drums
Jim Peterson - alto saxophone and flute
John Vaughn - alto sax
Dax Compise - drums



Buy at Bandcamp
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3

"Each composition and mode of execution on this album tenders a diametrically opposed vibe that is stitched together in unified fashion. Noertker's uncanny means of tying in various modalities and ideologies spark a win-win situation, when considering the sum of the interconnecting parts." - Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz

"CHAMBER JAZZ – The second disc in local bassist Bill Noertker’s “Blue Rider” series, inspired by the art of abstract painters like Kandinsky, Marc, and Klee. As always with this group, the music inhabits a nebulous but compelling space somewhere between straight-up jazz, modern classical and free improvisation. It’s all really good."
- Zookeeper, KZSU 90.1FM

"...the songs hold their shape even as the ensemble spreads its wings."
- J. Worely, Aiding & Abetting