water colors
MUSICIAN
Edith Lettner’s interests lie primarily in jazz, improvised music, African music and music from diverse regions in the Middle East. She plays alto and soprano saxophone and duduk, an Armenian woodwind instrument. She performs and records internationally with numerous unique artists and bands.
Her frequent collaboration with musicians from other cultures and artists from other art genres has made her an incredibly versatile artistic personality.
Some of the international musicians Edith has worked with: Leopoldo F. Fleming (USA), Warren Smith (USA), Donald Smith (USA), Lonnie Plaxico (USA), Alex Blake (USA), Kenny Wessel (USA), Ras Moshe Burnett (USA), Dafna Naphtali (USA), Mara Rosenblum (USA), Matt Lavelle (USA), Jed Distler (USA), Howard Curtis (USA), Steve Dalachinsky (USA), Banning Eyre (USA), Yacouba Sissoko (Mali), Thione Seck (Senegal), Suleymane Faye (Senegal), Cheikh Ndao (Senegal), Vero La Reine (Cameroun), Prince Zeka (Kongo), Celia Mara (Brazil), Nariman Hodjati (Iran), Zoreh Jooya (Iran), Hernán Hecht (Mexico), Alessandro Vicard (Italy), Julia Siedl (Austria), Beate Reiermann (Austria), Uli Scherer (Austria), Gerhard Graml (Austria), Karl Sayer (Austria), Stefan Brodsky (Austria) and many other great and very inspiring musicians.
INSTRUMENTS
- alto saxophone
- soprano saxophone
- duduk (armenian reed- instrument)
TEACHERS
- Saxophone: Leo Wright, Manfred Balasch, Herwig Gradischnig, Oscar Noriega, Patience Higgins
- Jazz theory and improvisation: Uli Scherer, Steve Coleman (M-Base Ways), Barry Harris
- Duduk: Gevorg Dabaghian (Komitas Conservatory Yerewan)
Thanks to all the musicians from all over the world, whom I have played with. Thanks for your inspiration and for all I learned through working with you.
Discography
New Albums out:
Travel Diaries: Beate Reiermann, Edith Lettner & Maria Petrova, released on artdialogue, July 2021 (distributed by Preiser Records)
We Q by Dafna Naphtali & Edith Lettner, released on Sept. 2020 on Clang label (Denmark) click here for Info & Purchase
| 2017 | Taking Off Edith Lettner’s band Freemotion (original compositions of contemporary jazz) |
| 2014 | Dialogues live @ ShapeShifter Lab Brooklyn Edith Lettner & Warren Smith (improvised music, live recording) |
| 2012 | Trust Your Way Edith Lettner & African Jazz Spirit, artdialogue (original compositions with African musicians and jazz musicians) |
| 2012 | Heart Blues Stefan Wagner Group, SBF records (modern jazz album, comp. by Stefan Wagner) |
| 2011 | Live in Vienna 2011 Aanderud /Hecht/Lettner, artdialogue (live recording of improvised music with two Mexican jazz musicians) |
| 2010 | calling4 phone 3 phone, Extraplatte (original compositions, jazz, world music) |
| 2010 | Live at Afrika Tage 2010 Jenny Bell & Earthbeat, , Art Attack Records (music from Uganda) |
| 2008 | Kaira Keba Cissokho & Edith Lettner, artdialogue (traditional West African music) |
| 2007 | moving offroad freemotion, Extraplatte (original compositions, jazz & more) |
| 2007 | The Long Walk Stefan Wagner Group, SBF records (modern jazz album, comp. By Stefan Wagner) |
| 2005 | Katharsis Edith Lettner & friends, artdialogue (soundtrack for a dance performance, original compositions) |
| 2004 | Listen Well Stefan Wagner Group, SBF records (modern jazz album, comp. by Stefan Wagner) |
| 2002 | Adouna- One World Kambis Culture (contemporary West African music, original compositions) |
| 2001 | Haft Peykar Setare, mandana productions (soundtrack for a dance performance to 7 stories by the Persian poet Nezami, original compositions) |
| 2000 | We think You Know phone 3 phone, Extraplatte (original compositions, jazz, world music) |
| 1996 | A Peaceful Crowd phone 3 phone, RST records (original compositions, jazz, world music) |
| 1994 | Blue Green Desires phone 3 phone, Extraplatte (original compositions, jazz, world music) |
Contributing as a guest musician
| 2014 | My eigene Wöd Dorothea Jaburek, Firma Mendt (Viennese jazz songs by Dorothea Jaburek) |
| 2005 | Bastardista Celia Mara, globalista, distr.: soul seduction (Brazilian world pop music) |
COMPOSER
Edith Lettner composes music for band projects, film and theater.
In 2005 she founded her own ensemble freemotion (jazz & more) and in 2010 the African Jazz Spirit project in Senegal. To both projects she can contribute her own compositions in very special ways.
Soundtracks (as composer and performer)
| 2009 | “Bock for President”, documentary about Austrian charity worker Ute Bock by Houchang and Tom- Dariusch Allahyari, as composer and performer |
| 1999 | “Ene Mene Muh”, movie by Houchang and Tom- Dariusch Allahyari, as composer and performer |
Music for theater and dance performances (as composer and performer)
| 2012 | “Honolulu Blues“ by Patrick Huber, directed by Hubsi Kramar |
| 2012 | “Flammende Liebe” by Hubsi Kramar, music composed and performed together with Martin Kratochwil |
| 2009/2010 | “Beautyfri 1 und 2”, directed by Hubsi Kramar |
| 2005 | “Katharsis“, a performance that brings together dance, music and painting |
| 2004 | “Wenn das Geheimnis zu eindrucksvoll ist, wagt man nicht zu widerstehen“, a theater performance with live dance, music and painting based on themes from Antoine De Saint Exupéry’s story “The Little Prince“ |
| 2002/2003 | “Fremde Monologe”, theater play directed by Hakan Yavas (Vienna, Kairo/ Egypt) |
PAINTER
Techniques: water colors, oil paintings, drawings.
To see examples of Edith’s paintings in each of these mediums, click on the following link
Edith showed her work in numerous exhibitions at home and abroad and staged painting performances together with jazz musicians. Her works in music and painting cross-fertilise each other and improvisation form the bridge that interconnects her work as a musician and as a painter
.
@ShapeShifter Lab Brooklyn, Oct. 2015
Salt Spring Art Gallery, Salt Spring Island, Canada, Jan. 2018
Exhibitions
| 2018 | Salt Spring Gallery (Salt Spring Island,BC, Canada) |
| 2017 | Linz AG Kulturforum |
| 2015 | ShapeShifter Lab, Brooklyn, New York |
| 2014 | Cornelia Street Café, Greenwich Village (New York) |
| 2012/2013/2014 | Kunst zu Recht- Justizzentrum (Vienna, Austria), group exhibition |
| 2010 | Grünraum (Vienna, Austria) |
| 2008
2006 |
Warum. Kunst.Raum (Wels, Austria)
Galerie CdB, Landeskulturzentrum Ursulinenhof (Linz, Austria) |
| 2005 | Siebensterngalerie (Vienna, Austria), with Renée Kellner |
| 2003 | Siebensterngalerie (Vienna, Austria), project “X-Change” with Rackie Diankha Musée de L’Ifan (Dakar, Senegal), project “X-Change” with Rackie Diankha |
| 2002 | Biennale Dak’ art (Dakar, Senegal), workshop and group exhibition at “Village des arts”
Siebensterngalerie (Vienna, Austria), exhibitionof the association “Teich ® seit 2001.Kunst” |
| 2001 | Vienna International Center (United Nations in Vienna, Austria)
Siebensterngalerie (Vienna, Austria), with Renée Kellner Salzburger Jazz-Herbst, group exhibition curated by Bank Austria-Kunstforum and ORF/Ö1 (Salzburg, Austria) Siebensterngalerie (Vienna, Austria), group exhibition |
| 2000 | Siebensterngalerie (Vienna, Austria) |
| 1999 | Papiermachermuseum Steyrermühl (Upper Austria)
Galerie im Allgemeinen Krankenhaus (Vienna, Austria) |
| 1996 | Vienna Hilton (Vienna, Austria) |
| 1995 | Galerie Thiele (Linz, Austria) |
| 1993 | Städtische Galerie (Traun, Austria) |
| 1992 | Tabakmuseum (Vienna, Austria)
Galerie Impressionen (Vienna, Austria) Galerie am Neuen Palais (Potsdam, Germany), with 2 artists from Berlin Bank Austria (Linz, Austria) |
| 1990 | IKARUS (Vienna, Austria) |
| 1989 | Galerie EL PASO art (Zurich, Switzerland) |
| 1988 | Galerie CDB Landeskulturzentrum Ursulinenhof (Linz, Austria)
BAWAG (Linz, Austria) |
| 1987 | United Art Gallery (Vienna, Austria)
Galerie Carpe Diem (Vienna, Austria) Theaterbrett (Vienna, Austria) Casino (Linz, Austria) |
| 1986 | Galerie Carpe Diem (Vienna, Austria) |
| 1983 | Raiffeisenkasse (Linz, Austria)Hypobank (Linz, Austria) |
| 1980 | First exhibition: watercolor paintings, Kapu Linz (Linz, Austria) |
