Amanda Gardier
Saxophonist | Composer | Educator
Press
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“Her third album as a leader, Auteur, is a fine, propulsive show."
"Singing tone and confident melodic flow"
"The group conjures then navigates smooth time shifts, nuances of mood, turns of gritty power, fleeting passages of insistent repetition and a pervasive sense of self-understanding."
-Howard Mandel
2024
"An artist with a distinctive voice and vision."
"Gardier improvises with a cool, crisp eloquence"
"[Auteur] is a high point of her discography - she comes across as a seasoned leader, accomplished composer and masterful saxophonist."
-Hrayr Attarian
2024
“Complex harmonies, tantalizing melodies, and smooth ballads enrobe Amanda Gardier's Flyover Country as she claims a space among rising saxophonists.”
-Michele L. Simms-Burton
2020
"Shifts between serene reveries and pronouncements so bold they could fit . . . into an in-your-face heavy metal band."
-Chris Spector
2020
The New York City Jazz Record
"Warm, elegant sound and flowing improvisational skill"
-George Grella
2024
"On Auteur, the ambitious Amanda Gardier has proven her ability and artistic depth, and the eclectic display among her three releases shows she is up to any challenge in any modern jazz format.
-Jeff Cebulski
2024
"This could be one of the best jazz albums of the year."
"Alto saxophonist Amanda Gardier‘s album Flyover Country . . . is a profoundly rewarding listen."
-Delarue
2020
“A sure fingered player, she's equally at home with flights of fancy as she is with composed stuff.”
-Dan McClenaghan
2020
“A wild combination of hard bop and funk, you know this is not your standard jazz outing.”
-Ron Netsky
2020
“It's easy to settle into the lustrous tones and elegant structures in her compositions.”
-Suzanne Lorge
2018
“Empathy is a debut with a lot of something for everyone. And that in and of itself is no small feat."
"With a clear sense of composition and where her own fluid voice, and those of her superb surrounding musicians, fall within the whole, Indiana-based alto saxophonist Amanda Gardier opens [with] her debut disc, Empathy."
-Mike Jurkovic
2018
“Gardier's tone is rich, breathy and filled with feeling.”
-George W. Harris
2018
“A uniquely talented jazz composer and soloist."
"Empathy is packed with standout moments."
-Kyle Long
2018
"An instrumental voice that was subtle, tasteful and a touch restless."
-Walter Tunis
2019
“Her Tunes are diverse and delectable.”
"Gardier's alto sax work...drives the sound, bringing [Empathy] its soulful, emotional center."
-Paul Freeman
2018
“Gardier's phrasing is so well defined and clear that words almost emerge in your minds ear. That is what I think of when I hear "the voice" of an artists."
2018
"This is what happens when you turn someone loose to make art and the results work."
-Chris Spector
2018
KUCI FM
“Charmingly direct solos on alto and flute”
-Hobard Taylor
2017
Indianapolis Star
“You won’t overlook [the] skills or the talents of alto saxophone player Amanda Gardier”
-David Lindquist
2016
“Fine alto sax work from Gardier”
-Jack Goodstein
2016
Sea of Tranquility
“[Gardier’s] sax solo on “Hallelujah” is absolutely gorgeous."
– Jon Neudorf
2016
Recordings
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Bio
Saxophonist, composer, and educator Amanda Gardier has been described as “a uniquely talented jazz composer and soloist” (Nuvo). With a diverse set of influences stemming from Miguel Zenon, The Bad Plus, Bjork, and more, Gardier is an alto saxophonist who juxtaposes the calmness of lush harmonies and cyclical melodies with the intensity of complex rhythms and fiery improvisation. Her first release with Green Mind Records, Empathy, was “a debut with a lot of something for everyone” (All About Jazz). With her second release, Flyover Country, Gardier “claims a space among rising saxophonists” (Downbeat) through the display of bold compositions and flexible improvisation. In addition to her work as a bandleader, Amanda is a current member of the US Navy Band Commodores jazz ensemble, where she is regularly featured as a soloist and woodwind doubler.
As a side musician, Amanda has performed with Ingrid Jensen, Dave Stryker, Leni Stern, Wayne Wallace, Wes "Warmdaddy" Anderson, Jamie Baum, Sal Lozano, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. She has also been a featured performer on five releases by the Charlie Ballantine Group—Vonnegut (2020), Life is Brief: The Music of Bob Dylan (2018), Where is My Mind? (2017), Providence (2016), and Green (2015).
As an educator, Amanda has served as the instructor of jazz saxophone at Ball State University, jazz saxophone faculty at the Indiana University Summer Saxophone Academy, band director and after-school jazz program director at Zionsville West Middle School, and teaching assistant at Birch Creek Music Performance Center.
Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in jazz studies from Indiana University.
Contact
Baltimore, MD, USA
©2016 by Amanda Gardier.