Jazz Articles about Quartet San Francisco

Jeremy Cohen: Raymond Scott Reimagined

by Walter Atkins
July 25, 2023

Raymond Scott Reimagined is an engaging collaborative project with Quartet San Francisco, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and the Grammy winning acapella group Take 6 on two tracks. The album is a thoughtful and stylish interpretation of Raymond Scott's legacy. It is also interspersed with audio tidbits featuring Scott's singular musical approaches. The album kicks off with the enticing “Powerhouse," familiar to anyone who has watched a Warner Bros Looney Tunes cartoon. “Toy Trumpet" is a tasty composition ...

Quartet San Francisco At Yoshi's 2023

by Walter Atkins
July 1, 2023

The Quartet San Francisco performed the compositions of Raymond Scott with a whimsical dynamism that flowed throughout the music. Scott's work has been closely associated with Warner Bros. cartoons, although he didn't write his music for animation. Along with members of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band (and some Take 6 vocal tracks), QSF weaved a fun and entertaining Sunday set at Yoshi's in Jack London Square. Mr. Scott is gone, but his singular work has been pleasantly revitalized ...

Quartet San Francisco: Pacific Premieres

by Dan Bilawsky
November 24, 2013

Gone are the days of the insular string quartet that turns its back on anything and everything outside of the classical canon. In many respects, the world can thank the venerable Kronos Quartet, which celebrates its fortieth anniversary in 2013, for opening eyes, ears and minds to the fact that the string quartet is just like any other instrumental assemblage, capable of crossing stylistic boundary lines and charting new courses. That groundbreaking ensemble explored--and continues to explore--music of all shapes ...

Quartet San Francisco: Whirled Chamber Music

by Ken Dryden
November 5, 2007

Quartet San Francisco (QSF) is very much in the vein of the Turtle Island String Quartet, though this classical crossover band sticks closer to their arrangements than the TISQ. Led by composer/arranger Jeremy Cohen on violin, the group also includes violinist Kayo Miki, violist Emily Onderdonk and cellist Joel Cohen. Their second CD draws from a wide swath of musical styles, including seven works by the quirky 1940s composer Raymond Scott, standards and show tunes, jazz, pop, funk and more. ...

Quartet San Francisco: Whirled Chamber Music

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
October 22, 2007

Whirled Chamber Music is another delightful CD from the group that was double-Grammy nominated for Latigo, its 2006 debut. This time, the pitch-perfect Quartet San Francisco applies itself to a wider range of material, compiling what could easily be the most cheerful and brilliantly-executed release of 2007.

“The walls between genres have come down, writes violinist/arranger Jeremy Cohen. “We feel passionate about this mix of American genres--blues, funk, jazz, tango, bluegrass, and rock--and we perform each ...

Quartet San Francisco: Whirled Chamber Music

by Mark Corroto
September 27, 2007

Scientists working diligently in a laboratory somewhere recently discovered a DNA strand and have identified it as the Cartoon Gene. This revelation proves the visual link between animation and sound. What they found is that cartoons permanently imprint sounds on your brain, for instance the sound of a character sneaking up stairs is a quickly rising pizzicato violin. That is why exposure to the music of Raymond Scott, adapted for Warner Brothers, brings automatic memories to anyone over forty.