Jazz Articles

Judith Berkson: Lu-Lu

by Wilbur MacKenzie
August 9, 2008

The resonant voice of Judith Berkson has been ubiquitous in the Brooklyn creative music for years. The inquisitive concertgoer would be likely to catch her microtonal singing and delicate piano work in projects with trombonists Jacob Garchik or Ben Gerstein and drummer John McLellan, but more often in the context of her solo performances at New York's Barbès, where she can often be heard singing work of older composers like Robert Schumann and Arnold Schoenberg, as well as jazz standards ...

Gil Selinger: 4/4 Tet

by Michael McCaw
September 23, 2005

Gil Selinger has performed in Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center, Tonic, the Knitting Factory, and other venues throughout New York and the world. And like most cellists, most listeners have no idea who he is. This despite a multifaceted background that includes classical music performances, “SoundPainting with conductor Walter Thompson, and collaborations with Marilyn Crispell, Archie Shepp, and Satoshi Takeishi. Selinger plays with a confident and determined tone on the cello, which is well documented on ...

Jessica Pavone: 27 Epigrams

by Frank Rubolino
June 25, 2003

Epigrams are short, concise written works expressing a single thought or observation. Jessica Pavone adapted this concept to music by composing 27 short pieces for quartet (bassoon, English horn, cello, and viola); trio (marimba, Bb clarinet, and viola); and solo viola. The project spanned most of 2002 and reflected her changing moods and the textures of the seasons.

The quartet pieces were written during winter. Wrapped in solemn trappings, the product of Gil Selinger's cello and Pavone's viola establish a ...