Judith Berkson

Judith Berkson: Oylam

by John Kelman
May 21, 2010

As renowned as Manfred Eicher is for his ability to scout out new talent deserving wider recognition, ECM's other regular (albeit less prolific) producer, Steve Lake, is equally worthy of similar consideration. Few others could have imagined the remarkable synchronicity of folk traditionalism and unfettered free play that came about when, after recruiting Robin Wililiamson for The seed-at-zero (2000), Lake pushed the British singer/songwriter into new territory by teaming him with Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller, and free improvisers Barre Phillips ...

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Album Review

Judith Berkson: Lu-Lu

Read "Lu-Lu" reviewed by Wilbur MacKenzie

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 ...