Jazz Articles about Russ Gershon

About Russ Gershon

Album Review

Either/Orchestra: Nalbandian The Ethiopian

Read "Nalbandian The Ethiopian" reviewed by Jim Trageser

by Jim Trageser
February 11, 2026

After a decade and a half break, the always interesting Either/Orchestra is back with another compelling recording--albeit one recorded in 2011 and 2012, and only now, in 2026, seeing the light of day. Russ Gershon remains at the helm of the Either/Orchestra, and not only is this recording finally being issued, but the group is also in the midst of 40th anniversary touring schedule with shows later this spring of 2026 scheduled for Knoxville and Cleveland.

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Interview

Russ Gershon: Time Traveler, Four Million Years Later

by Ian Patterson
February 21, 2011

Twenty-five years is a long time in jazz. When saxophonist/composer/bandleader Russ Gershon founded the Either/Orchestra back in 1985, trumpeter Miles Davis was on the crest of his jazz/funk comeback wave, and the so-called Young Lions movement fronted by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis was coming into prominence, just as Weather Report--the last of the great '70s fusion bands--was coming to an end. In those days, the orchestras of Cab Calloway, Buddy Rich and Sun Ra were still touring, and you could also ...

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Album Review

Either/Orchestra: Mood Music for Time Travelers

Read "Mood Music for Time Travelers" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
February 21, 2011

As saxophonist/founder Russ Gershon has noted, the 25-year history of the Either/Orchestra constitutes a quarter of jazz's eventful history. The changes in this large ensemble's music in part reflect wider trends and at the same time are the results of an organic evolution as members have come and gone. In the early years, Gershon plumbed the jazz cannon for repertory in addition to composing original material. However, arrangements of songs by Bob Dylan, Bing Crosby and Robert Fripp pointed to ...

Album Review

Either/Orchestra: Mood Music for Time Travellers

Read "Mood Music for Time Travellers" reviewed by AAJ Italy Staff

by AAJ Italy Staff
December 6, 2010

Dopo la felicissima perentesi africana del 2005 (documentata dal vivo in Live in Addis ma gia' presente in parte su Afro-cubism) l'orchestra di Russ Gershon celebra i 25 anni d'attività con un nuovo album, l'undicesimo. È certamente un bel traguardo, su cui nessuno avrebbe scommesso quando l'organico si mise assieme, quasi per gioco a casa del sax tenore, complici “una cassa di birra e degli spartiti". Gershon è un bandleader e arrangiatore versatile e aperto, che guarda con interesse alle ...

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Album Review

Either/Orchestra: Mood Music for Time Travellers

Read "Mood Music for Time Travellers" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

by Jerry D'Souza
September 11, 2010

The past 25 years have been a time of transition for The Either/Orchestra. Members have come and gone and come back again. Their music has imbibed several styles and genres and grown all the richer. One of the sagest moves they made was the long, and fruitful, collaboration with Ethiopian music and with musicians that included Mahmoud Ahmed, Getachew Mekurya and Mulatu Astatke,For this recording, Russ Gershon wrote a couple of tunes geared to the organ after he ...

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Album Review

Either/Orchestra: Mood Music For Time Travellers

Read "Mood Music For Time Travellers" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
September 4, 2010

A sense of calm and well-being pervades the Either/Orchestra's Mood Music For Time Travellers, investing its ten tunes with a warmth and good humor that makes the music immediately accessible, and also hides some of the compositions' complexities. It's a calm that comes from experience and confidence, this album celebrating Either/Orchestra's 25th year. The Massachusetts-based group, led by saxophonist and composer Russ Gershon, has a strong reputation for its work with Ethiopian musicians on albums such as ...

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Interview

Either/Orchestra Handles All Tough Turns of Jazz Road

by R.J. DeLuke
October 27, 2003

Saxophonist Russ Gershon is on the horns of a dilemma with his sparkling band, the Either/Orchestra, the rock-solid 10-piece organization that churns out all kinds of music. The surprising sounds are steeped in jazz, but like a Luis Tiant pitch, the thunder the band emits can come from just about any angle. Critics have loved them. Yet gigs aren’t as plentiful as they should be for such a stellar group. Gershon – who’s tired, in a way, of winning Downbeat ...