CJF – Landline

Landline is a quartet based in New York City with an innovative approach to composition, performance and pedagogy. Their method of composing can be viewed as a metaphor to their overall relationship with music; one that celebrates inclusiveness and the joy of artistic collaboration.

The group is made up of some of New York City’s most creative composers and improvisers: Chet Doxas on tenor saxophone, Jacob Sacks on piano, Zack Lober on bass, and Vinnie Sperrazza on drums.

The concept of the group is based on an original composition game that is constantly ongoing within the band. The process is similar to the children’s game “telephone” but in LandLine’s case, the group uses musical ideas instead of spoken phrases. Each band member composes a musical idea then passes it down the line to the next group member. By the time the process is completed, each member of the group has edited or added to the original idea as they saw fit, thus making each piece of music and its interpretation highly collaborative.