Russ Gershon (born August 11, 1959) is an American

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, and founder of the Either/Orchestra in Massachusetts in 1985.

Career

Gershon founded Accurate Records, which has released albums by

Morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...

Medeski Martin & Wood Medeski Martin & Wood (or MMW) is an American jazz fusion band formed in 1991, consisting of John Medeski on keyboards, Billy Martin on drums, and Chris Wood on bass. The band is influenced by musical traditions including funk and hip hop and ...

, the Alloy Orchestra, Ghost Train Orchestra, the Either/Orchestra,

Dominique Eade Dominique Frances Eade (June 16, 1958) is an American jazz singer and composer. She has taught at the New England Conservatory. Career She attended Vassar College and the Berklee College of Music before finishing her degree at New England Con ...

, and Garrison Fewell. He has been a member of rock bands the Decoders (1980–82), the

Sex Execs Sex Execs were a new wave music band from Boston, Massachusetts, active from late 1981 to mid-1984, playing bars and colleges in the Northeast. Although the group's recorded output was scanty and self-released, lasting recognition came via severa ...

(1982–84), Hypnosonics (1986–1999), Orchestra Morphine (2000–present) Bourbon Princess (2003–2008). He has worked as a studio musician and has performed in Boston. In 1997, Gershon played arrangements of Ethiopian popular music with the Either/Orchestra. This drew the attention of

Francis Falceto Francis Falceto is a contemporary French musicologist and music producer, specialising in World music and in particular music of Ethiopia which he helped propagate internationally from 1986 onwards.

, who produced the "

Éthiopiques ''Éthiopiques'' is a series of compact discs featuring Ethiopian singers and musicians. Many of the CDs compile songs from various singles and albums that Amha Records, Kaifa Records and Philips-Ethiopia released during the 1960s and 1970s in Eth ...

" series of albums to document 20th century Ethiopian music. Through Falceto's connections, Gershon and his band were invited to Addis Ababa in 2004 and became the first American big band to perform in Ethiopia since Duke Ellington's in 1973. Their principal concert was released as the album ''Ethiopiques 20: Live in Addis'' and led to working with Ethiopian musicians such as Mulatu Astatke, Mahmoud Ahmed, Getachew Mekurya, Alemayehu Eshete and Teshome Mitiku. In 2016 Gershon appeared with Ahmed's band at Carnegie Hall.

Awards and honors

Grammy Award nomination, Best Original Arrangement of an Instrumental Composition, "Bennie Moten's Weird Nightmare"

Discography

As leader

With Either/Orchestra * ''Dial E'' (Accurate, 1986) * ''Radium'' (Accurate, 1988) * ''

The Half-Life of Desire ''The Half-Life of Desire'' is an album by the Either/Orchestra recorded in 1989, with one track from 1988, and released by the Accurate Records label the following year.

'' (Accurate, 1990) * ''The Calculus of Pleasure'' (Accurate, 1992) * ''The Brunt'' (Accurate, 1994) * ''Across the Omniverse'' (Accurate, 1996) * ''More Beautiful Than Death'' (Accurate, 2000) * ''Afro-Cubism'' (Hot, 2002) * ''Neo-Modernism'' (Accurate, 2003) * ''Ethiopiques 20: Live in Addis'' (Buda Musique, 2004)

As sideman

With

* ''B-Sides and Otherwise'' (Rykodisc, 1997) * ''Early to Bed'' (Rykodisc, 1997) * ''Potion'' (Rykodisc, 1997) With others *

Mulatu Astatke Mulatu Astatke (; French pronunciation: Astatqé; born 19 December 1943) is an Ethiopian musician and arranger considered as the father of "Ethio-jazz". Born in Jimma, Mulatu was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston where he ...

, ''Mulatu Steps Ahead'' (Strut, 2010) * Concussion Ensemble, ''Stampede'' (Conc, 1993) *

Bob Merrill Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...

, ''Cheerin' Up the Universe'' (Accurate, 2015) *

Mark Sandman Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...

, ''Sandbox'' (Hi-n-Dry, 2004) *

Laurie Sargent Laurie Sargent is best known as a songwriter and vocalist in the 1980s and 1990s. She was active in the city of Boston. Around 2008, she and her long-term partner, drummer Billy Conway, moved to Montana, where they began raising food on an organ ...

, ''Little Dipper and the Shooting Star'' (Hi-n-Dry, 2013) *

Throwing Muses Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was originall ...

, ''Hunkpapa'' (4AD, 1989) * Twinemen, ''Twinemen'' (Hi-n-Dry, 2002)

References

All About Jazz, October 27, 2003 - Either/Orchestra Handles All Tough Turns of Jazz RoadJazz Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gershon, Russ 1959 births Living people Musicians from Massachusetts 21st-century American composers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American saxophonists American male composers American male saxophonists American music industry executives Avant-garde jazz musicians American male jazz musicians