Karl Berger Launches New Series at the Jazz Gallery

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Karl Berger's Improvisers Orchestra debuts Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 at The Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, New York, NY. Following a critically-acclaimed eight-month run at The Stone in 2011, Karl Berger's Orchestra of 18+ professional string, horn, and percussion soloists continues to turn improvisational ideas developed in the 7:30 pm workshop/rehearsal into a fully formed 9:00 pm performance. Using his "Music Mind" concept, Karl introduces a new approach and experience of harmonizing improvised sound.

"The suite-like performances have a warm, buoyant vibe issuing from brief folkloric-like motifs and the low-key, common-sense guidance Karl offers his players." said music critic Howard Mandel.

Conducted in Karl's inimitable style, developed at the legendary Creative Music Studio, this orchestra of extraordinary improvisers explores original themes, melodies from the world's folk traditions and compositions written by the likes of Don Cherry or Ornette Coleman, as well as musical ideas that arise spontaneously. One of the orchestra's trademarks is Ingrid Sertso's uncanny vocalization and poetry.

"I love the atmosphere that Karl and Ingrid create. For me it's an oasis in the middle of all these stressful energies that the city brings." said composer Susan Megias, composer.

The rotating cast of soloists, with a solid core of regulars, includes Warren Smith, drums, Hilliard Greene (bass), Ken Filiano (bass), Kenny Wessel (guitar), Harvey Valdes (guitar), Peter Apfelbaum (tenor sax, flute), Daniel Carter (tenor sax, flute, trumpet), Stephen Gauci, (tenor sax), Welf Dorr, (alto sax), Catherine Sikora, (soprano sax), Bill Ylitalo (baritone sax, alto flute, piccolo flute), Thomas Heberer (trumpet), Brian Groder (trumpet), Michael Lytle (bass clarinet), Blaise Siwula (clarinet), Yukari Watanabe (alto flute), Frederika Krier (violin), Mossa Bildner (vocals), Ingrid Sertso (vocals), and surprise guests.

The new season is a bi-weekly Tuesday night series, continuing on April 3 and 17, and May 1 and 15, with a 7:30 p.m.

All net proceeds support the Creative Music Studio's Archive Project, the preservation and re-mastering of over 400 historic CMS recordings by some of the finest innovators in music, in collaboration with Columbia University.

For reservations call The Jazz Gallery (212) 242-1063
Tickets are $20.00 Workshop + Performance | $15.00 for Members and Students. $15.00 Performance Only | $10.00 for Members and Students.

The Jazz Gallery is located at 290 Hudson Street, New York, NY
(between Spring St and Dominik Street ( Subways #1 and C/E)

Karl Berger is an award-winning composer/arranger, winner of six Downbeat Critics Polls as a jazz soloist, the mastermind behind the legendary Creative Music Studio and the emergence of spontaneously arranged confluences of individual improvisational expressions and world musical traditions that is the CMS trademark. His recordings and world-wide performances included musicians from the jazz tradition such as Dave Holland, Ed Blackwell, Graham Haynes, Bob Stewart, Kenny Wessel, and from world musical backgrounds such as Steve Gorn, Nana Vasconcelos, Ismet Siral, Hozan Yamamoto. He collaborated with Don Cherry, Gunter Schuller, the Mingus Epitaph Orchestra, just to name a few.

Karl Berger now records for the Tzadik label.His writing credits include orchestral arrangements for recordings by Jeff Buckley, Angela Kidjo, Better Than Ezra, The Cardigans, many collaborations with producer Bill Laswell and the groundbreaking orchestral composition "No Man Is An Island". Karl Berger and Friends continue to present residencies world-wide, notably in Italy, Germany, Istanbul and Brazil.

During the '70- and '80's, the Woodstock-based Creative Music Studio was considered the premier study center for contemporary creative music. Founded in 1971 by Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso and Ornette Coleman, CMS brought together leading innovators in the jazz and world music communities. Unprecedented in its range and diversity, CMS was an acknowledged phenomenon in the international music world, providing participants with the rare opportunity to interact personally with the musical giants of improvisation and musical thought on a daily basis.

CMS is credited as the birthplace of Worldjazz - the improvisational and compositional expansion of the world's musical traditions. Now one of the main driving forces in many styles of music, this concept was pioneered very early at CMS, guided by authentic leaders. Hundreds of live concerts were recorded, many heralded as landmark performances. Thousands of workshops, master classes, concerts and colloquia inspired a generation of musicians who took with them the ideas, concepts and practices developed at CMS. The CMS community still exists in a remarkable network of creative musicians, many of whom came to CMS from Asia, Europe and South America.

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