Kevin Norton (born January 21, 1956) is an American percussionist and composer active in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

jazz and contemporary music scenes. He has performed and recorded with a diverse group of musicians, including

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, Fred Frith, David Krakauer,

Joëlle Léandre Joëlle Léandre (born 12 September 1951 in Aix-en-Provence, France) is a French double bassist, vocalist, and composer active in new music and free improvisation. In the field of contemporary music, she has performed with Pierre Boulez's E ...

Frode Gjerstad Frode Gjerstad (born 24 March 1948) is a Norwegian jazz musician with alto saxophone as principal instrument, but he also plays other saxophones, clarinet, and flute. He has collaborated with Paal Nilssen-Love, Borah Bergman, Peter Brötzmann, ...

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, James Emery, Bern Nix, and many others. In 1999, he founded Barking Hoop Recordings, a record label dedicated to releasing new and original music. Kevin Norton has also spent summers at camp Encore/Coda in Maine teaching music theory classes and private percussion classes.barking hoop
at Kevin Norton website. The label has released 11 CDs to date, which feature Norton's own groups as well as artists such as Anthony Braxton, Kevin O'Neil, Billy Stein, and the String Trio of New York.

Education and career

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Norton grew up in Staten Island and later studied composition at CUNY's Hunter College, where he began his association with bassist

. Norton would later record the album ''The Judge's Decision'' with Hinton in 1986. Upon graduation from Hunter College, he attended the Manhattan School of Music and earned his Master's degree in classical percussion.Aaron Steinberg
"/kevin Norton"
, ''JazzTimes'', November 2002. After school he began getting involved with the "downtown New York City" scene, and began working with Fred Frith's experimental rock band

Keep the Dog Keep the Dog was an American-based experimental rock touring band from New York City formed in 1989 by English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. The sextet was conceived as a review band for performing selections of Fri ...

(which also featured saxophonist John Zorn and harpist

Zeena Parkins Zeena Parkins (born 1956) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist active in experimental, free improvised, contemporary classical, and avant-jazz music; she is known for having "reinvented the harp". Parkins performs on standard har ...

). Some other collaborators during this period include Phillip Johnston and

Joel Forrester Joel Forrester (born May 2, 1946) is an American jazz composer and pianist. He composed the theme song to NPR's ''Fresh Air'', performed by The Microscopic Septet which Forrester founded in 1980 and led with saxophonist Phillip Johnston. A docu ...

. Beginning in 1998, Norton is currently teaching at

William Paterson University William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American ju ...

. He began the Barking Hoop label in 1999 with a live concert recording of a piece he composed for the French

situationist The Situationist International (SI) was an Proletarian internationalism, international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and Political philosophy, political theorists. It was prominent in Eu ...

theorist Guy Debord, "with Braxton cast as sideman. 'I taped the concert, not thinking I was going to put it out,' Norton says. 'But I was so happy with the results that I thought, well, this should come out.'" More recently, Norton has been working in various configurations with musicians

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, John Lindberg,

Scott Robinson Scott Robinson may refer to: * Scott Robinson (jazz musician) (born 1959), American jazz musician * Scott Robinson (ice hockey) (born 1964), Canadian National Hockey League player * Scott Robinson (singer) (born 1979), English singer in the boy ban ...

Connie Crothers Connie Crothers (May 2, 1941 – August 13, 2016) was an American jazz improviser and pianist. Early life Crothers began studying classical piano at age 9 and went on to major in composition at the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkel ...

, and J. D. Parran.

Discography

As leader

* ''Framework'' with Laura Seaton, Erik Friedlander (Newport Classic, 1991) * ''Ankle to Nose'' (Amf music, 1994) * ''Integrated Variables'' (CIMP, 1996) * ''Knots'' (Music & Arts, 1998) * ''For Guy Debord (in Nine Events)'' with Anthony Braxton (Barking Hoop, 1999) * ''In Context/Out of Context'' (Barking Hoop, 2000) * ''Change Dance Troubled Energy'' (Barking Hoop, 2001) * ''Iron Monkey Trio'' (CIMP, 2001) * ''Play the Music of Anthony Braxton'' (Barking Hoop, 2001) * ''Rylickolum: for Your Pleasure'' with

& Paul Rogers (CIMP, 2003) * ''Intuitive Structures'' (Cadence, 2003) * ''Not Only in That Golden Tree...'' (Clean Feed, 2003) * ''The Dream Catcher (for Wilber Morris)'' (CIMP, 2003) * ''Ocean of Earth'' with Joelle Leandre (Barking Hoop, 2003) * ''No Definitive'' with

(FMR, 2004) * ''Time-Space Modulator'' (Barking Hoop, 2004) * ''Go Forth Duck'' with Paul Dunmall & Paul Rogers (CIMP, 2004) * ''Quark Bercuse Solo Percussion Vol I'' (FMR, 2005) * ''The Bright Lights the Big Day'' with Paul Rogers (FMR, 2005) * ''The Walk'' with Frode Gjerstad (FMR, 2006) * ''Winter in New York 2006'' with

Joelle Leandre Joelle is a feminine given name, and may refer to: * Joelle, actor and singer * Joelle Behlok, Lebanese television presenter and winner Miss Lebanon 1997 * Joelle Carter (born 1972), American actress * Joelle Fishman (born 1946), American politicia ...

(Leo, 2007) * ''Antioch'' with Frode Gjerstad (Ayler, 2008) * ''Zinc Nine Psychedelic'' with

(Punos Music, 2009) * ''Tipples'' with Frode Gjerstad (FMR, 2011) * ''Live Tipple'' with Frode Gjerstad (FMR, 2013)

As sideman

With

* '' Small Ensemble Music (Wesleyan) 1994'' (Splasc(H), 1999) * '' Four Compositions (Quartet) 1995'' (Braxton House, 1997) * '' Sextet (Istanbul) 1996'' (Braxton House 1996) * '' Tentet (New York) 1996'' (Braxton House, 1996) * '' Octet (New York) 1995'' (Braxton House, 1997) * '' Ensemble (New York) 1995'' (Braxton House, 1997) * ''Trillium R'' (Braxton House 1999) * ''Ten Compositions (Quartet) 2000'' (CIMP, 2000) * ''Nine Compositions (Hill) 2000'' (CIMP, 2001) * ''8 Standards (Wesleyan) 2001'' (Barking Hoop, 2002) * '' Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 1'' (Leo, 2002) * '' Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 2'' (Leo, 2003) * '' 23 Standards (Quartet) 2003'' (Leo, 2004) * '' Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 3'' (Leo, 2005) * '' 20 Standards (Quartet) 2003'' (Leo, 2005) * '' Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 4'' (Leo, 2007) * '' 19 Standards (Quartet) 2003'' (Leo, 2010) * ''Composition, Improvisation, Synthesis'' (New Braxton House, 2011) * ''Tentet (Paris) 2001'' (New Braxton House, 2013) With Phillip Johnston * ''Phillip Johnston's Big Trouble'' (Black Saint, 1993) * ''The Unknown'' (Avant, 1994) * ''Flood at the Ant Farm'' (Black Saint, 1995) * ''Music for Films'' (Tzadik, 1998) With David Krakauer * ''Klezmer, NY'' (Tzadik, 1998) * ''A New Hot One'' (Label Bleu, 2000) * ''The Twelve Tribes'' (Label Bleu, 2002) With others *

, ''Dancing Foot'' (SteepleChase, 2004) *

Anthony Coleman Anthony Coleman (born August 30, 1955) is an avant-garde jazz pianist. During the 1980s and 1990s he worked with John Zorn on '' Cobra'', ''Kristallnacht'', '' The Big Gundown'', '' Archery'', and '' Spillane'' and helped push modern Jewish music ...

, '' Pushy Blueness'' (Tzadik, 2006) * Anthony Coleman, ''

Lapidation Stoning, or lapidation, is a method of capital punishment where a group throws stones at a person until the subject dies from blunt trauma. It has been attested as a form of punishment for grave misdeeds since ancient times. The Torah and T ...

'' (New World, 2008) *

, ''Ancient and Future Airs'' (Clean Feed, 2009) * James Emery, ''Spectral Domains'' (Enja, 1998) * James Emery, ''Luminous Cycles'' (Between the Lines, 2000) * Joe Fonda, ''Full Circle Suite'' (CIMP, 1999) * Fred Frith, '' Step Across the Border'' (RecRec Music, 1990) *

, ''The Judge's Decision'' (Exposure, 1984) *

, ''Live at the Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon'' (Leo, 2011) * Steve Lehman, ''Structural Fire'' (CIMP, 2001) * Steve Lehman, ' (CIMP, 2002) * John Lindberg, '' Live at Roulette, NYC'' (Jazzwerkstatt, 2011) * John Lindberg, ''Born in an Urban Ruin'' (Clean Feed, 2016) *

Frank London Frank London (born 1958 in New York) is an American klezmer trumpeter who also plays jazz and world music. Early life London was born to a Reform Jewish family and grew up in New York and Connecticut. He started playing the trumpet in fourt ...

, ''The Debt'' (Tzadik, 1997) *

Denman Maroney Denman Maroney (born 1949) is a jazz musician who plays what he calls "hyperpiano". Hyperpiano "involves stopping, sliding, bowing, plucking, striking and strumming the strings with copper bars, aluminum bowls, rubber blocks, plastic boxes and ...

, ''Fluxations'' (New World, 2003) *

Bill Mobley Joseph William Mobley (born April 7, 1953) is an American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player. Early life and education Mobley was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Both of his parents were musicians. Mobley learned piano, his mother's instrument, from ...

, ''Hittin' Home'' (Space Time, 2016) * J. D. Parran, ''Omegathorp: Living City'' (Y'All of New York, 2005) *

Sonny Simmons Huey "Sonny" Simmons (August 4, 1933 – April 6, 2021) was an American jazz musician. Biography Simmons was born on August 4, 1933 in Sicily Island, Louisiana. He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the English horn. (Along w ...

, ''Universal Prayer/Survival Skills'' (Parallactic, 1999) *

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, ''Sojourner Truth'' (Newport Classic, 1991) *

Steve Swell Steve Swell (born in Newark, New Jersey, December 6, 1954) is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator. Music career Swell studied at Jersey City State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1975 where he began his m ...

, '' This Now!'' (Cadence, 2003) * Steve Swell, ''Suite for Players, Listeners and Other Dreamers'' (CIMP, 2003) * John Zorn, ''

Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ...

'' (Tzadik, 2012)

References

External links

*
Barking Hoop Recordings''All About Jazz'' interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Kevin American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz drummers American jazz vibraphonists 1956 births Living people CIMP artists Hunter College alumni People from Staten Island American percussionists 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians Clean Feed Records artists FMR Records artists