Elliott Sharp (born March 1, 1951) is an American contemporary classical composer, multi-instrumentalist, performer, author, and visual artist. A central figure in the

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

and

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five

recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

ranging from contemporary classical,

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any general rules, instead following the intuition of its performers. The term can refer to both a technique—employed by any musician in any genre—and as a recognizable genre of ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, experimental, and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l music to

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

no wave No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and r ...

, and

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

. He pioneered the use of personal computers in live performance with his ''Virtual Stance'' project of the 1980s. He has used

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of Rigour#Mathematics, mathematically rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific Computational problem, problems or to perform a computation. Algo ...

s and

fibonacci numbers In mathematics, the Fibonacci sequence is a sequence in which each element is the sum of the two elements that precede it. Numbers that are part of the Fibonacci sequence are known as Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted . Many writers begin the s ...

in experimental composition since the 1970s, and has cited literature as an inspiration for his music and often favors improvisation.Ambrose, P
Elliott Sharp's Instrumental Vision
The Morning News, October 4, 2005Tessalation Row, Elliott Sharp with the Soldier String Quartet

All Music Guide AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the data ...

He is an inveterate performer, playing mainly guitar, saxophone and

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

. Sharp has led many ensembles over the years, including the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

-oriented Terraplane, Orchestra Carbon, and SysOrk, a group dedicated to the realization of algorithmic and graphic scores.

Biography

Sharp was classically trained in piano from an early age, taking up clarinet and guitar as a teen. He attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

from 1969 to 1971, studying anthropology, music, and electronics. He completed his B.A. degree at

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

in 1973, where he studied composition with

Benjamin Boretz Benjamin Aaron Boretz (born October 3, 1934) is an American composer and Music theory, music theorist. Life and work Benjamin Boretz was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Abraham Jacob Boretz and Leah (Yullis) Boretz. He graduated with a degree in ...

and Elie Yarden; jazz composition, improvisation, and

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

with trombonist

Roswell Rudd Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer. Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...

; and physics and electronics with Burton Brody. In 1977 he received an M.A. from the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

, where he studied composition with

Morton Feldman Morton Feldman (January 12, 1926 – September 3, 1987) was an American composer. A major figure in 20th-century classical music, Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminacy in music, a development associated with the experimental New York School o ...

and

Lejaren Hiller Lejaren Arthur Hiller Jr. (February 23, 1924, New York City – January 26, 1994, Buffalo, New York)Lejaren ...

, and ethnomusicology with Charles Keil. From the late 1970s, Sharp established himself internationally. His compositions have been performed by the

JACK Quartet The JACK Quartet is an American string quartet dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. It was founded in 2005 and is based in New York City. The four founding members are violinists Christopher Otto and Ari Streisfeld, violi ...

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical musi ...

, Ensemble Musikfabrik, the hr-Sinfonieorchester, the

Ensemble Modern Ensemble Modern is an international ensemble dedicated to performing and promoting the music of contemporary composers. Formed in 1980, the group is based in Frankfurt, Germany, and made up variously of about twenty members from numerous countri ...

, Continuum, the Orchestra of the SEM Ensemble, the FLUX Quartet, Zeitkratzer, the Soldier String Quartet, and Grammy-winning violinist

Hilary Hahn Hilary Hahn (born November 27, 1979) is an American violinist. A three-time Grammy Award winner, she has performed throughout the world as a soloist with leading orchestras and conductors, and as a recitalist. She is an avid supporter of contemp ...

. His work has been featured at festivals worldwide, including Other Minds in San Francisco 2021, the 2018

RuhrTriennale The Ruhrtriennale ( compound of ''Ruhr'' and ''triennale'' "lasting 3 years"), also known as Ruhr Triennale, was founded in 2002 and is a music and arts festival in the Ruhr-area of Germany which runs between mid-August and mid-October, and happen ...

, Huddersfield 2018, MaerzMuzik Berlin 2014, Tomorrow Festival Shenzhen 2012, New Music Stockholm festival 2008, Donaueschingen Festival 2007,

Hessischer Rundfunk (; "Hesse Broadcasting"), shortened to HR (; stylized as hr), is the German state of Hesse's public broadcasting corporation. Headquartered in Frankfurt, it is a member of the national consortium of German public broadcasting corporations, A ...

Klangbiennale 2007,

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

2003 & 2006, and

Darmstädter Ferienkurse Darmstädter Ferienkurse ("Darmstadt Summer Course") is a regular summer event of contemporary classical music in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. It was founded in 1946, under the name "Ferienkurse für Internationale Neue Musik Darmstadt" (Vacation Co ...

fur Neue Musik 2003. He has collaborated regularly with many people, including

Christian Marclay Christian Marclay (born January 11, 1955) is a visual artist and composer. He holds both American and Swiss nationality. Marclay's work explores connections between sound art, noise music, photography, video art, film and digital animations. A p ...

Nels Cline Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been a guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004. In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex, a percussionist. He has wor ...

Bobby Previte Bobby Previte (born July 16, 1951 in Niagara Falls, New York) is a drummer, composer, and bandleader. He earned a degree in economics from the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979 and began ...

Z'EV Z'EV (born Stefan Joel Weisser, February 8, 1951 – December 16, 2017) was an American poet, percussionist, and sound artist. After studying various world music traditions at CalArts, he began creating his own percussion sounds out of indu ...

Joey Baron Bernard Joseph Baron (born June 26, 1955 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American drummer best-known for working in avant-garde jazz with Bill Frisell and John Zorn. Music career Baron, who is of Jewish heritage, was born on June 26, 1955, in Ric ...

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

, ,

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 ...

, Vernon Reid, and Frances-Marie Uitti, as well as qawaali singer

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997), also known by his initials NFAK, was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. Khan was primarily a singer of qawwali, a form of Sufi devot ...

, blues legend

Hubert Sumlin Hubert Charles Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer, best known for his "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions" as a member of Howl ...

, actor/writer

Eric Bogosian Eric Michael Bogosian (; born April 24, 1953) is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian-American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and attended the University ...

, jazz greats

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, B ...

and Sonny Sharrock, pop singer

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...

, and

Bachir Attar Bachir Attar (Arabic: بشير عطار, born 1964) is a Moroccan musician and the leader of The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar. He is the son of Hadj Abdesalam Attar, who led the group Master Musicians of Jajouka at the time ...

, leader of the

Master Musicians of Jajouka The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar (sometimes written as ...featuring Bachir Attar) are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance musicians, serving as a modern representation of a centuries-old music tradition. The collective includes ...

. He was curator of the monumental sound-art exhibition ‘’Volume: Bed of Sound’’ for

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution at 2201 Jackson Avenue in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York City, United States. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...

, which featured the works of 54 artists including

Vito Acconci Vito Acconci (, ; January 24, 1940 – April 27, 2017) was an American performance art, performance, video and installation artist, whose diverse practice eventually included sculpture, architectural design, and landscape design. His performan ...

, Tod Dockstader, John Duncan,

Walter Murch Walter Scott Murch (born July 12, 1943) is an American film editor, director, writer and sound designer. His work includes '' THX 1138'', ''Apocalypse Now'', '' The Godfather I'', '' II'', and '' III'', '' American Graffiti'', '' The Conversation ...

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

Laurie Anderson Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work encompasses performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting,Amirkhanian, Cha ...

Chris & Cosey Chris & Cosey, sometimes known as Carter Tutti, are a musical duo formed in 1981, consisting of couple Chris Carter (electronics) and Cosey Fanni Tutti (voice, electronics, guitar, cornet), both previously (and as of 2020 the sole surviving) ...

Survival Research Laboratories Survival Research Laboratories (SRL) is an American performance art group which pioneered the genre of large-scale machine performance. Founded in 1978 by Mark Pauline in San Francisco the group is known in particular for performances where custo ...

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

, and

Butch Morris Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings. ...

. He produces records for a wide variety of artists, and has curated several ''State of the Union'' CDs, compilations of one-minute tracks by experimental musicians. He releases music under his own label
zOaR music
as well as

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

label SST and

downtown music Downtown music is a subdivision of American music, closely related to experimental music, which developed in downtown Manhattan in the 1960s. History The scene the term describes began in 1960, when Yoko Ono, one of the early Fluxus artists, o ...

labels such as

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment and is co-owned and co-operated by Knitting Factory Entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United Stat ...

records and John Zorn’s

Tzadik Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ...

label. Sharp describes himself as a lifelong "science

geek The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In th ...

", having modified and created musical instruments since his teen years, and frequently borrowing terms from science and technology for his compositions. Elliott Sharp 2

Sharp received the 2015 Berlin Prize in Musical Composition, spending six months as a Fellow-in-Residence at the

American Academy in Berlin The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonpartisan research and cultural institution in Berlin dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and German ...

. He was awarded a 2014

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

, was a 2009 Master Artist-in-Residence at the

Atlantic Center for the Arts Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) is a nonprofit, interdisciplinary artists' community and education facility located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The complex was designed by the Boston-based firm Thompson and Rose Architects. Atlantic Center ...

, a

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

Fellow in music in 2010 and 2019, and received a 2003

Foundation for Contemporary Arts The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...

Grants to Artists Award. He has composed scores for feature films and documentaries, created music and sound-design for The Sundance Channel, MTV and Bravo networks; and has presented numerous sound installations in art galleries and museums. ''Guitar Player'' magazine’s 30th anniversary issue included Sharp among their list of “The Dirty Thirty – Pioneers and Trailblazers”. In March 2011, Sharp's 60th birthday was celebrated with a weekend of all-star concert events entitled "E#@60", hosted by Brooklyn's

ISSUE Project Room ISSUE Project Room (often shortened to ISSUE) is a music venue in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2003 by Suzanne Fiol. ISSUE Project room owns a theatre in 110 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The venue supports a wide variety of contempo ...

. In March 2021, his 70th birthday was celebrated with a series of concert events entitled “E#@70”, presented by Brooklyn’s

Roulette Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...

. Sharp lives in lower Manhattan with media artist Janene Higgins and their two children.

Discography

Solo

* ''The Collapsed Wave'' (2023) * ''Steppe'' (2023) * ''Octal: Book Four'' (2022) * ''Karman Lines'' (2021) * ''Isosceles'' (2020) * ''Cryptid Fragments 1991-1996'' (2020) * ''Octal Book Three'' (2014) for solo 8-string guitarbass * ''The Yahoos Trilogy'' (2013) * ''Octal Book Two'' (2010) * ''Tectonics – Abstraction Distraction'' (2010) * ''Concert in Dachau'' (2008) * ''Octal Book One'' (2008) * ''Solo Beijing'' (2007) * ''Sharp? Monk? Sharp! Monk!'' (2006) * ''Quadrature'' (2005) * ''Velocity of Hue'' (2004) * ''Tectonics – Errata'' (1999) * ''Tectonics – Field and Stream'' (1997) * ''Sferics'' (1996) * ''Tectonics'' (1995) * ''Westwerk'' (1992) * ''K!L!A!V!'' (1990) * ''Looppool'' (1988) * ''Rhythms and Blues'' (1980) * ''Resonance'' (1979)

As a leader

* ''Nots'' (1981) with Art Baron,

Olu Dara Olu Dara Jones (born Charles Jones III; January 12, 1941) is an American cornetist, guitarist, and singer. He is the father of rapper Nas. Early life Olu Dara was born Charles Jones III on January 12, 1941, in Natchez, Mississippi, Natchez, Mis ...

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...

, Diana Meckley, M.E. Miller, Charles K. Noyes, Phillip Wilson * ''I/S/M:R'' (1982) with Michael Brown, Al Diaz, David Linton * ''In the Land of the Yahoos'' (1987) with Christoph Anders, Sussan Deihim, Elizabeth Fischer, David Fulton, Paul Garrin,

Shelley Hirsch Shelley Hirsch (born June 9, 1952 in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York) is an American vocalist, performance artist, composer, improviser, and writer. She won a DAAD Residency Grant in Berlin 1992, a Prix Futura award in 1993, and multiple award ...

, Shigeto Kamada,

, Jane Tomkiewicz * ''Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Yahoos'' (1992) with Samm Bennett, Alva Rogers,

Anthony Coleman Anthony Coleman (born August 30, 1955) is an American composer and 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 ...

, Victor Poison-Tete,

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar wh ...

, Sussan Deihim,

Barbara Barg Barbara Barg (April 29, 1947 — May 22, 2018) was a poet, writer, and musician. Barg was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Forrest City, Arkansas. After studying with poet Ted Berrigan at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, she ...

, K.J. Grant, Lee Ann Brown * ''Dyners Club Guitar Quartet'' (1994) with Roger Kleier, David Mecionis, John Myers * ''Boodlers'' (1995) with Fred Chalenor, Henry Franzoni * ''Boodlers – Counter Fit'' (1997) with Fred Chalenor, Henry Franzoni, Joseph Trump * ''Arc 1: I/S/M'' (1996) with Art Baron, Michael Brown, Al Diaz,

, David Linton, Diana Meckley, M.E. Miller, Charles K. Noyes,

, Phillip Wilson * ''Arc 2: The Seventies'' (1998) with, Steve Piccolo, Geoff MacAdie, Stewart Gilbert, Kunda Magenau, Denis Williamson, Murry Kohn, Donald Knaack,

, Jim Whittemore, Chris Vine * ''Arc 3: Cyberpunk & the Virtual Stance'' (1998) * ''Autar'' (2000) with the

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

Musicians of Muhammad Abu-Ajaj * ''Raw Meet'' (2002) with

Melvin Gibbs Melvin Gibbs is an American bass guitarist who has appeared on close to 200 albums in diverse genres of music. Among others, Gibbs is known for working in jazz with drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson and guitarist Sonny Sharrock, and in rock music ...

, Lance Carter * ''Radio Hyper-Yahoo'' (2004) with Tracie Morris,

, Sim Cain, Maggie Estep,

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi (,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself. It is not uncommon for people to pronounce his name or instead. ; born December 13, 1957) is an American actor. He is known for his work as an acclaimed character actor. Mul ...

, Lisa Lowell, Jack Womack, Eszter Balint, Edwin Torres, , Steve Piccolo, Gak Sato * ''War Zones'' (2008) * ''

: Graffiti Composition'' (2010) Elliott Sharp,

Mary Halvorson Mary Halvorson (born October 16, 1980) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts. Among her many collaborations, she has: led a trio with and Ches Smith, and a quintet with the addition of Jon Iraba ...

Lee Ranaldo Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known as a co-founder of the rock band Sonic Youth. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Ranaldo at number 33 on its "Greatest Guitarists of All Time" li ...

, Vernon Reid * ''Electric Willie: a Tribute to

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

'' (2010) Elliott Sharp,

Henry Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known for his shipbuilding and construction projects, then later for his involvement in fostering modern American health care. Prior to World War II, ...

, , Queen Esther, Glenn Phillips, Melvin Gibbs, Lance Carter (Yellowbird) * ''Err Guitar'' (2017) * ''Syzygy'' (2019

with Carbon

* ''Monster Curve'' (1982) * ''Datacide'' (1989) * ''Sili/contemp/tation'' (1990) * ''Tocsin'' (1991) * ''Truthtable'' (1993) * ''Autoboot'' (1994) * ''Amusia'' (1994) * ''Interference'' (1995) * ''Serrate'' (2009) * ''Void Coordinates'' (2010) * ''Amsterdam Live 2010'' (2023)

with Orchestra Carbon

* ''Larynx'' (1988, 2007) * ''Abstract Repressionism: 1990–99'' (1992) * ''Spring & Neap'' (1997) * ''Rheo~Umbra'' (1998) * ''SyndaKit'' (1999) * ''Radiolaria'' (2001) * ''Quarks Swim Free'' (2006)

String Quartets

* ''Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup'' (1987) with Soldier String Quartet and Carbon * ''Twistmap'' (1991) with Soldier String Quartet * ''Cryptid Fragments'' (1993) with Margaret Parkins, Michelle Kinney, Sara Parkins, and Soldier String Quartet * ''Digital'' (1986) on '' Short Stories (Kronos Quartet album), Short Stories'' * ''XenocodeX'' (1996) with Soldier String Quartet * ''A Modicum of Passion'' (2004) with (vocals) Devorah Day, Ben Miller, ,

Joan Wasser Joan Wasser (born July 26, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer who releases music as Joan As Police Woman. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders and played with Black Beetle, Anohni and the Johnsons, ...

; and (strings) Stephanie Griffin, Conrad Harris, Amy Kimball, Garo Yellin * ''Elliott Sharp String Quartets 1986–1996'' (2003) with Soldier String Quartet and The Meridian Quartet * ''The Boreal'' (2009) performed and recorded by JACK Quartet * ''Tranzience'' (2013) performed and recorded by JACK Quartet * ''Akheron'' (2014) premiered by JACK Quartet

Orchestral

* ''Racing Hearts, Tessalation Row, Calling'' (2003) * ''Plastovy Hrad'' (2018) commissioned by Brno Contemporary Orchestra and conducted by Pavel Snajdr. * ''Oceanus Procellarum'' commissioned and premiered by Ensemble Resonanz, Kampnagel, Hamburg and Huddersfield Festival, UK. * ''Occam's Machete'' (2023) premiered by Sharp's SysOrk string ensemble

w/SysOrk

* ''Sylva Sylvarum 2014'' (2020) * ''ReGenerate'' (2021) * ''Flexagons 2014'' (2022)

with Terraplane

* ''Terraplane'' (1994) * ''Terraplane – Blues for Next'' (2000) * ''Terraplane – Music fr Yellowman'' (2002) * ''Terraplane – Do the Don't'' (2003) with

* ''Terraplane – Secret Life'' (2005) * ''Terraplane – Forgery'' (2008) * ''Terraplane – Sky Road Songs'' (2012) with

* ''Terraplane – 4AM Always'' (2014) – Winner of the Jahrespreis from Deutsche Schallplattenkritik * ''Kick It Six'' (2020) * ''Century'' (2021)

Duos

* ''In New York'' (1990) with

* ''Psycho~Acoustic'' (1994) with

* ''Psycho~Acoustic – Blackburst'' (1996) with

* ''Hoosegow: Mighty'' (1996) with Queen Esther * ''Improvisations'' (1997) with Frances-Marie Uitti * ''Revenge of the Stuttering Child'' (1997) with Ronny Someck * ''Poverty Line'' (1997) with Ronny Someck * ''Rwong Territory'' (1998) with DJ Soulslinger * ''High Noon'' (1999) with

* ''Anostalgia'' (2002) with Reinhold Friedl * ''The Prisoner's Dilemma'' (2002) with

* ''Tongue'' (2004) with John Duncan * ''Volcanic Island'' (2005) with Yasuhiro Usui * ''Tranz'' (2006) with

Merzbow is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by Masami Akita, best known for a style of harsh noise music. Since 1980, Akita has released over 500 recordings and collaborated with numerous artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada a ...

* ''Feuchtify'' (2006) with Reinhold Friedl * ''Hums 2 Terre'' (2007) with Franck Vigroux * ''Duo Milano'' (2007) with

* ''pi:k'' (2007) with Charlotte Hug * ''BASE'' (2008) with Antoine Berthaume * ''Scharfefelder'' (2008) with

Scott Fields Scott Fields (born September 30, 1952Press release from New Arts International for his 2024 album Throws. Some sources list 1960 as his birth year. in Chicago, Illinois) is a guitarist, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for blending mus ...

* ''Protoplasmic'' (2009) with Boris Savoldelli * ''Afiadacampos'' (2010) with

* ''Reflexions'' (2010) with

Michiyo Yagi , a Japanese musician who studied koto under Tadao Sawai, Kazue Sawai and Satomi Kurauchi, and graduated from the NHK Professional Training School for Traditional Musicians. Between 1989 and 1990, during her tenure as visiting professor of mus ...

* ''Chansons du crépuscule'' (2017) with Helene Breschand * ''Olso'' (2019) with John Andrew Wilhite-Hannisdal * ''Kumuska'' (2019) with Saadet Türköz * ''Alluvial Plain'' (2020) with Matthew Evan Taylor * ''Peregrinations'' (2020) with Frances-Marie Uitti * ''Duality'' (2022) with Tracie Morris

Collaborative groups

* ''Semantics – Bone of Contention'' (1987) Elliott Sharp, Ned Rothenberg, Samm Bennett * ''Bootstrappers'' (1989)

George Hurley George Hurley (born September 4, 1958) is a drummer noted for his work with Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Music career Early years Originally from the East Coast, Hurley and his family moved to San Pedro, California, when he was six years old. ...

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ca ...

, Elliott Sharp * ''Bootstrappers – GI=GO'' (1992) Elliott Sharp, Thom Kotik, Jan Kotik * ''Downtown Lullaby'' (1998)

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

Wayne Horvitz Wayne Horvitz (born September 1, 1955) is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer. He came to prominence in the Downtown scene of 1980s and '90s New York City, where he met his future wife, the singer, songwriter and pianist Robi ...

, Elliott Sharp,

* '' GTR OBLQ'' (1998) Vernon Reid, Elliott Sharp,

* ''Beyond'' (2001)

, Elliott Sharp, Roberto Zorzi * ''In the Tank'' (2006) Natsuki Tamura, Elliott Sharp, Takayuki Kato, Satoko Fujii * ''TECK String 4tet'' (2007)

Carlos Zingaro Carlos Zíngaro (or Carlos "Zíngaro" Alves, born 15 December 1948) is a Portuguese violinist and electronic musician active in free improvisation. Biography Zingaro studied classical music at the Lisbon Music Conservatory from 1953 to 1965, and ...

, Elliott Sharp, Ken Filiano, Tomas Ulrich * ''Venice, dal vivo'' (2010) Elliott Sharp,

, Franck Vigroux, Bruno Chevillon * ''Crossing the Waters'' (2013) Elliott Sharp, Melvin Gibbs, (Intakt) * ''Expressed By The Circumference'' (2019) Elliott Sharp, Álvaro Domene, Michael Caratti * ''

Evocation Evocation is the act of evoking, calling upon, or summoning a Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit, demon, deity or other supernatural agents, in the Western mystery tradition. Conjuration also refers to a summoning, often by the use of a magic ...

'' (Infrequent Seams, 2022) with

Andrew Cyrille Andrew Charles Cyrille (born November 10, 1939) is an American avant-garde jazz drummer. Throughout his career, he has performed both as a leader and a sideman in the bands of Walt Dickerson and Cecil Taylor, among others. AllMusic biographer ...

and

Richard Teitelbaum Richard Lowe Teitelbaum (May 19, 1939 – April 9, 2020) was an American composer, keyboardist, and improvisor. A student of Allen Forte, Mel Powell, and Luigi Nono, he was known for his live electronic music and synthesizer performances. He ...

, recorded in 2011

As producer

: ''Spy Vs Spy'' ( Nonesuch, 1988) * Mofungo: ''Bugged'' (SST, 1988) * N.A.D + Sonny Sharrock,

Denardo Coleman Denardo Ornette Coleman (born April 19, 1956) is an American jazz drummer. He is the son of Ornette Coleman and Jayne Cortez. Biography Born to Jayne Cortez and Ornette Coleman in Los Angeles, California, in 1956,

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as a founding member of the English avant-rock group Henry ...

: ''Ghosts'' (Heron, 1989) * Mofungo: ''Work'' ( SST, 1989) * Kazamaki/Laar: ''Return to Street Level'' (Ear-Rational, 1990) * The Frigg: ''Frigg: Brecht'' (

, 1999) * PAK: ''100% Human Hair'' (Ra Sounds, 2007) *

: '' Graffiti Composition'' (Dog W/A Bone, 2010) * ''Binibon'' (radio play, produced and directed) (Henceforth, 2010) * ''Hubert Sumlin - New York 95'' (2020) * ''Los Desinhibidos'' (2022)

As a compilation producer

* ''Peripheral Vision'' (zOaR, 1982) * ''State of the Union'' (zOaR, 1992) * ''Island of Sanity'' ( No Man's Land, 1987) * ''Real Estate'' (Ear-Rational, 1990) * ''State of the Union'' (MuWorks, 1993) * ''State of the Union'' (Atavistic, 1996) * ''State of the Union 2.001'' ( Electronic Music Foundation, 2001) * ''Timebomb: Live at the Clocktower Gallery'' (

, 1997) * ''Secular Steel'' (Gaff Music, 2004) * ''I Never Met a Guitar'' (Clean Feed, 2010)

Recorded film scores and score compilations

* ''Figure Ground'' (compilation) (1997) * ''Suspension of Disbelief '' (compilation) (2001) * Soundtrack for the film ''Commune'' (2005) * Soundtrack for the film ''What Sebastian Dreamt'' (2005) * ''Q-Mix'' (2009) * ''Spectropia Suite'' (2010) Score to the sci-fi feature film by Toni Dove performed by the 31 Band, Sirius String Quartet, and special guest

Filmography

Film appearances

* ''Elliott Sharp: Doing the Don't'' (2008 DVD documentary) * ''The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music'' (2007 DVD) * ''Elliott Sharp: The Velocity of Hue. Live in Cologne'' (2007 DVD) * ''April in New York'' with

(2007 DVD) * Roulette TV: ''Elliott Sharp''.

Roulette Intermedium Roulette Intermedium is a performing arts and new music venue located in Brooklyn, New York City. Founded in 1978, it has been located in the neighborhoods of Tribeca and SoHo in Manhattan, and now resides in a renovated theater in downtown Broo ...

Inc. (2000 DVD) * ''Record Player: Christian Marclay'' (2000 DVD)

Music composed for film

*''Spectropia'' (2006) *'' Commune'' (2005) *''The Time We Killed'' (2004) *''What Sebastian Dreamt'' (2003) *'' Daddy and the Muscle Academy'' (1991) *''Antigone/Rites of Passion'' (1990) *''The Salt Mines'' (1990)

Opera and theater

*''Innosense'' (1981) *''Em/Pyre'' (2006) *''Binibon'' (2009) *''About Us'' (2010) *''Port Bou'' (2014) *''Instant Opera'' (2017) *''Filiseti Mekidesi'' (2018) *''Die Grösste Fuge'' (2021)

Bibliography

*''Morton Subotnick: We Are Who We Invent'' (2023 - TapeOp Nr. 255) *
Peter K. Siegel: Quietly changing American Music
' (2022 - Please Kill Me). *
Hubert Sumlin: Howlin' Wolf's Secret Weapon
' (2022 - Please Kill Me). *
Skull Forming: Tim Wright interview by Elliott Sharp
' (2021 - Please Kill Me). *''IrRational Music'' (2019 - TerraNova Press): mix of memoir, music theory, and cultural discussion. *''Epiphanies - Vong Co Guitar''

The Wire (magazine) ''The Wire'' (or simply ''Wire'') is a British music magazine publishing out of London, which has been issued monthly in print since 1982. Its website launched in 1997, and an online archive of its entire back catalog became available to subs ...

December 2018

Installations

*''Chorale'' (2019): 8-channel sound installation at Geoff Stern Art Space, Berlin. *''Suspension'' (2004): 2-channel installation of video and sound exploring the awareness of momentary stillness in the metropolis. Collaboration with video artist Janene Higgins, for The

Chelsea Art Museum The Chelsea Art Museum (CAM) was a contemporary art museum located at 556 West 22nd Street on the corner of Eleventh Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The museum focused on post-war European art. The museum was ...

, NYC. *''Fluvial'' (2002): A system for flowing audio to create moving sound currents within the enclosed space of the Engine 27 gallery in NYC, ''Fluvial'' uses randomization, filtering, and feedback as its basic processing elements to make full use of the room's spatialization potential. *''Chromatine'' (2001): Both musical instrument and sculpture, encouraging visitors to touch the sculpture and cause it to play music. For the Gallery of the School of

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...

. *''Tag'' (1997): An interactive audio installation created for the ''Departure Lounge'' exhibition at the Clocktower Gallery of

, New York City. *''Distressed Vivaldi'' (1996): Soundtrack created for the ''Model Home'' exhibition at the Clocktower Gallery of MoMA PS1, New York City.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Elliott 1951 births Musicians from Cleveland 20th-century American classical composers American male classical composers Bass clarinetists Bard College alumni Cornell University alumni Jewish American musicians 20th-century American Jews Living people American rock saxophonists American male saxophonists University at Buffalo alumni Bootstrappers (band) members Homestead Records artists Cavity Search Records artists Glass Records artists 20th-century American saxophonists 21st-century American saxophonists Classical musicians from Ohio 21st-century American clarinetists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Clean Feed Records artists Atavistic Records artists Intakt Records artists 21st-century American Jews Emanem Records artists Tzadik Records artists Knitting Factory Records artists SST Records artists

Biography

Discography

Solo

As a leader

with Carbon

with Orchestra Carbon

String Quartets

Orchestral

w/SysOrk

with Terraplane

Duos

Collaborative groups

As producer

As a compilation producer

Recorded film scores and score compilations

Filmography

Film appearances

Music composed for film

Opera and theater

Bibliography

Installations

Further reading

References

External links