Tom Cora
Encyclopedia
Thomas Henry Corra better known as Tom Cora, was a United States
cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational
performances in the field of experimental
jazz
and rock
. He recorded with John Zorn
, Butch Morris
and The Ex, and was a member of Curlew
, Third Person
and Skeleton Crew.
, United States
. He made his musical debut as drummer on a local television program and in the mid-1970s he played guitar for a Washington, D.C.
jazz
club house band
. He took up the cello while an undergraduate at the University of Virginia
and studied with cellist Pablo Casals
' student Luis Garcia-Renart
and later with vibraphonist
Karl Berger
. During this time he formed his own group, The Moose Skowron Tuned Metal Ensemble and began constructing instruments for it.
In 1979 Cora moved to New York City
where he worked with Shockabilly
guitarist Eugene Chadbourne
, introducing the cello to the honky tonk
circuits of North America
. He performed at improvising
clubs and venues in New York with John Zorn
, Fred Frith
, Andrea Centazzo
, Butch Morris
, Wayne Horvitz
, David Moss
, Toshinori Kondo
and others. Cora also collaborated with George Cartwright
and Bill Laswell
which led to the formation of the art rock
band Curlew
in 1979 . Cora remained with Curlew for over ten years and appeared on five of their albums.
In 1982 Tom Cora and Fred Frith formed Skeleton Crew, an improvising rock
and jazz
band best known for their live performances where they played various instruments simultaneously. Cora and Frith were each one-man band
s on stage and for their act, Cora constructed musical contraptions he could play with his feet. The band existed for five years during which time they toured Europe
, North America and Japan
extensively. They made two studio albums, Learn to Talk (1984) and The Country of Blinds (1986), the latter with Zeena Parkins
who had joined the band in 1984. In October 1983 Skeleton Crew joined Duck and Cover, a commission from the Berlin Jazz Festival, for a performance in West Berlin
, followed by another in February 1984 in East Berlin
.
Cora was also a member of the improvising trio Third Person
, formed in 1990 as a live collaboration with percussionist Samm Bennett
and a "third person" who changed from concert to concert. Two CDs of some of their performances were released, The Bends in 1991 (with "third persons" Don Byron
, George Cartwright, Chris Cochrane, Nic Collins, Catherine Jauniaux
, Myra Melford
, Zeena Parkins, and Marc Ribot
) and Luck Water in 1995 (with "third person" Kazutoki Umezu
).
Cora performed with a number of other bands, including Nimal with Momo Rossel and post-rock
quartet
Roof. In 1990, he played two concerts with Dutch
anarcho-punk
band, The Ex, and the success of this collaboration resulted in Cora performing hundreds of concerts with The Ex and appearing on two of their CDs. In 1995 in The Netherlands, Cora and Frith collaborated on Etymology, a CD-ROM sound sample library of sonic sounds and wire manipulations.
Tom Cora died of malignant melanoma at the age of 44 in a hospital in the south of France
, where he lived with his wife, singer Catherine Jauniaux, and their son, Elia Corra.
A month after Cora's death, a benefit concert
in aid of his family was held at the Knitting Factory
with appearances by Catherine Jauniaux, Fred Frith, George Cartwright, Zeena Parkins and others. A CD of this concert, It's a Brand New Day - Live at the Knitting Factory, produced by John Zorn, was released on Knitting Factory Records
in 2000. But the good intentions of all concerned were never realised when Knitting Factory Records was bought out and Jauniaux received no royalties from the sale of the CD.
John Zorn also compiled Hallelujah, Anyway - Remembering Tom Cora, a two CD set featuring a selection of recordings by Cora and some of the groups he recorded with, plus new recordings of Cora's compositions.
Cora appeared in Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel's 1990 documentary film on Fred Frith, Step Across the Border
, in which Cora and Frith are filmed rehearsing at The Kitchen
, New York City in February 1989.
While in The Netherlands, Cora spent two months at Steim, an electro-acoustic research centre in Amsterdam
where he tailored a live sampling
and triggering system to be played with his feet. He unveiled the system in a 25 concert solo tour in 1992. Unfortunately, the unique tailor-made instrument constructed at Steim was later lost, forgotten on a train while touring Switzerland.
Besides performing, Cora composed music for the National Film Board of Canada
, choreographer Donna Uchizono (for which he received a New York Dance and Performance Award in 1990), and a solo cello film score for Dziga Vertov
's, Man with the Movie Camera, commissioned by the American Museum of the Moving Image
. In 1994 Cora was awarded a Meet the Composer Commissioning Grant to compose an ensemble score for Man with the Movie Camera. It was performed at several North American venues and in Europe in 1996.
, electronically modified and highly amplified
. He developed the style of playing sawed chords and percussive riffs as if his cello was an electric guitar. He banged, scraped and twisted it and did whatever else was necessary to produce the sounds he wanted.
Cora explored non-idiomatic improvising and studied Turkish
and Eastern European folk music
. The influence of this folk music is evident in much of his work. Skeleton Crew once devoted an entire concert to playing only Eastern European folk tunes.
On stage, his presence was striking. Ed Baxter noted in his biography of Tom Cora:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
performances in the field of experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. He recorded with John Zorn
John Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
, Butch Morris
Butch Morris
Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris is an American jazz cornetist, composer and conductor.-Biography:Before his musical career, Morris served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War....
and The Ex, and was a member of Curlew
Curlew (band)
Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. Members of the band have included cellist Tom Cora, guitarists Davey Williams and Fred Frith, and bassist Bill Laswell.-Discography:*Curlew...
, Third Person
Third Person
Third Person was animprovising trio formed in 1990 in New York City, led by cellist Tom Cora and drummer Samm Bennett. Each performance featured an invited guest: A third person...
and Skeleton Crew.
Biography
Tom Cora was born in Yancey Mills, VirginiaYancey Mills, Virginia
Yancey Mills is an unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia. Today Yancey Mills is the site of the intersection of U.S. Route 250 and Interstate 64, the location of Western Albemarle High School, Henley Middle School, Brownsville Elementary School, and a pair of gas stations.It is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He made his musical debut as drummer on a local television program and in the mid-1970s he played guitar for a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
club house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
. He took up the cello while an undergraduate at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and studied with cellist Pablo Casals
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
' student Luis Garcia-Renart
Luis Garcia-Renart
-Biography:Born is Barcelona, Garcia first studied at the National Conservatory of Music and then at the conservatories of Bern and Basel in Switzerland with Sándor Veress and Sándor Végh. Between 1956 and 1960 he studied directly under Pablo Casals in France and Puerto Rico. In 1959 he won the...
and later with vibraphonist
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
Karl Berger
Karl Berger
Karl Hanns Berger is a musicologist with a PhD in Music Sociology, jazz composer, jazz vibraphone and piano player.-Biography:...
. During this time he formed his own group, The Moose Skowron Tuned Metal Ensemble and began constructing instruments for it.
In 1979 Cora moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he worked with Shockabilly
Shockabilly
Shockabilly was a band which included Eugene Chadbourne on guitar/vocals, Mark Kramer on bass/organ, and David Licht on drums.Shockabilly released a number of albums during their brief existence , most were later re-released...
guitarist Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll.Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but...
, introducing the cello to the honky tonk
Honky tonk
A honky-tonk is a type of bar that provides musical entertainment to its patrons...
circuits of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. He performed at improvising
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
clubs and venues in New York with John Zorn
John Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
, Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
, Andrea Centazzo
Andrea Centazzo
Andrea Centazzo is an Italian-born American percussionist and composer of minimal music. He acquired U.S. citizenship in 2000 and lives in Los Angeles, California....
, Butch Morris
Butch Morris
Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris is an American jazz cornetist, composer and conductor.-Biography:Before his musical career, Morris served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War....
, Wayne Horvitz
Wayne Horvitz
Wayne Horvitz is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer.-Biography:Horvitz, a "defiant cross-breeder of genres", has led the groups The President, Pigpen, Zony Mash, and the Four Plus One Ensemble...
, David Moss
David Moss (musician)
David Moss is an American composer, percussionist and self-taught vocalist, founder of the David Moss Dense Band; co-founder and artistic director of the Institute for Living Voice, Antwerp...
, Toshinori Kondo
Toshinori Kondo
Toshinori Kondo is an avant-garde jazz and jazz fusion trumpeter. He resides in Tokyo, New York City, and Amsterdam....
and others. Cora also collaborated with George Cartwright
George Cartwright (musician)
George Cartwright Born in Midnight, Mississippi, December 10, 1950, George Cartwright is most notably known as the founder of the band Curlew in 1979 in New York City. Besides playing soprano, alto and tenor saxophones he has composed music for Curlew, his own solo recordings and other music...
and Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
which led to the formation of the art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
band Curlew
Curlew (band)
Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. Members of the band have included cellist Tom Cora, guitarists Davey Williams and Fred Frith, and bassist Bill Laswell.-Discography:*Curlew...
in 1979 . Cora remained with Curlew for over ten years and appeared on five of their albums.
In 1982 Tom Cora and Fred Frith formed Skeleton Crew, an improvising rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band best known for their live performances where they played various instruments simultaneously. Cora and Frith were each one-man band
One-man band
A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of musical instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical contraptions. The simplest type of "one-man band" — a singer accompanying themselves on acoustic guitar and harmonica mounted in a metal "harp rack" below the...
s on stage and for their act, Cora constructed musical contraptions he could play with his feet. The band existed for five years during which time they toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
extensively. They made two studio albums, Learn to Talk (1984) and The Country of Blinds (1986), the latter with Zeena Parkins
Zeena Parkins
Zeena Parkins is a harpist active in rock music, free improvisation and jazz. Parkins plays standard harps, as well as several custom-made one-of-a kind electric harps; she also plays piano and accordion...
who had joined the band in 1984. In October 1983 Skeleton Crew joined Duck and Cover, a commission from the Berlin Jazz Festival, for a performance in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, followed by another in February 1984 in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
.
Cora was also a member of the improvising trio Third Person
Third Person
Third Person was animprovising trio formed in 1990 in New York City, led by cellist Tom Cora and drummer Samm Bennett. Each performance featured an invited guest: A third person...
, formed in 1990 as a live collaboration with percussionist Samm Bennett
Samm Bennett
Samm Bennett , is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.Samm Bennett is a singer and songwriter, a drummer and percussionist, and a player of string instruments such as the stick dulcimer and the diddley bow...
and a "third person" who changed from concert to concert. Two CDs of some of their performances were released, The Bends in 1991 (with "third persons" Don Byron
Don Byron
Don Byron is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet, but has also used bass clarinet and saxophones....
, George Cartwright, Chris Cochrane, Nic Collins, Catherine Jauniaux
Catherine Jauniaux
Catherine Jauniaux is a Belgian avant-garde singer. She has been described as a "one-woman-orchestra", a "human sampler", and "one of the best kept secrets in the world of improvised music". Her solo album, Fluvial is regarded as one of her most accomplished works...
, Myra Melford
Myra Melford
Myra Melford is a jazz pianist and composer. In recent years, Melford has begun playing the harmonium as well as piano.Melford grew up in the Chicago area...
, Zeena Parkins, and Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
) and Luck Water in 1995 (with "third person" Kazutoki Umezu
Kazutoki Umezu
Kazutoki Umezu is a Japanese jazz saxophonist.He has performed with Tom Cora, Samm Bennett, Ruins, and Michiyo Yagi.-Video:*...
).
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
Roof. In 1990, he played two concerts with Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. The term anarcho-punk is sometimes applied exclusively to bands that were part of the original anarcho-punk movement in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
band, The Ex, and the success of this collaboration resulted in Cora performing hundreds of concerts with The Ex and appearing on two of their CDs. In 1995 in The Netherlands, Cora and Frith collaborated on Etymology, a CD-ROM sound sample library of sonic sounds and wire manipulations.
Tom Cora died of malignant melanoma at the age of 44 in a hospital in the south of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he lived with his wife, singer Catherine Jauniaux, and their son, Elia Corra.
A month after Cora's death, a benefit concert
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
in aid of his family was held at the Knitting Factory
Knitting Factory
The Knitting Factory is a music venue and concert house with locations in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno, and Spokane. The club originally specialized in jazz and experimental music and has expanded to showcasing all genres of music, performing arts and comedy....
with appearances by Catherine Jauniaux, Fred Frith, George Cartwright, Zeena Parkins and others. A CD of this concert, It's a Brand New Day - Live at the Knitting Factory, produced by John Zorn, was released on Knitting Factory Records
Knitting Factory Records
Knitting Factory Records is an independent American music label that is notable for promoting a variety of artists including deceased Nigerian political agitator and musician Fela Kuti...
in 2000. But the good intentions of all concerned were never realised when Knitting Factory Records was bought out and Jauniaux received no royalties from the sale of the CD.
John Zorn also compiled Hallelujah, Anyway - Remembering Tom Cora, a two CD set featuring a selection of recordings by Cora and some of the groups he recorded with, plus new recordings of Cora's compositions.
Cora appeared in Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel's 1990 documentary film on Fred Frith, Step Across the Border
Step Across the Border
Step Across the Border is a 1990 avant-garde documentary film on English guitarist, composer and improviser Fred Frith. It was written and directed by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel and released in Germany and Switzerland...
, in which Cora and Frith are filmed rehearsing at The Kitchen
The Kitchen
The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary art and performance space located at at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
, New York City in February 1989.
Solo work
In addition to performing with other bands and musicians, Cora began a solo concert career in 1986. The prospect of managing a concert-length performance single-handedly was a challenge with risks, but he learnt to balance risk with intention and the results were solo performances across North America, Europe and Japan. Two live albums from some of these performances were released in 1987 and 1991.While in The Netherlands, Cora spent two months at Steim, an electro-acoustic research centre in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
where he tailored a live sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
and triggering system to be played with his feet. He unveiled the system in a 25 concert solo tour in 1992. Unfortunately, the unique tailor-made instrument constructed at Steim was later lost, forgotten on a train while touring Switzerland.
Besides performing, Cora composed music for the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, choreographer Donna Uchizono (for which he received a New York Dance and Performance Award in 1990), and a solo cello film score for Dziga Vertov
Dziga Vertov
David Abelevich Kaufman , better known by his pseudonym Dziga Vertov , was a Soviet pioneer documentary film, newsreel director and cinema theorist...
's, Man with the Movie Camera, commissioned by the American Museum of the Moving Image
American Museum of the Moving Image
The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in Astoria, Queens on the former site of the Kaufman Astoria Studios. The museum originally opened in 1988 as the American Museum of the Moving Image. The museum began a $67 million expansion in March 2008 and reopened in January 2011...
. In 1994 Cora was awarded a Meet the Composer Commissioning Grant to compose an ensemble score for Man with the Movie Camera. It was performed at several North American venues and in Europe in 1996.
Technique
Tom Cora's cello was preparedPrepared guitar
A prepared guitar is a guitar that has had its timbre altered by placing various objects on or between the instrument's strings, including other extended techniques...
, electronically modified and highly amplified
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
. He developed the style of playing sawed chords and percussive riffs as if his cello was an electric guitar. He banged, scraped and twisted it and did whatever else was necessary to produce the sounds he wanted.
Cora explored non-idiomatic improvising and studied Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Eastern European folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. The influence of this folk music is evident in much of his work. Skeleton Crew once devoted an entire concert to playing only Eastern European folk tunes.
On stage, his presence was striking. Ed Baxter noted in his biography of Tom Cora:
Discography
This is a selection of albums Tom Cora has performed on, showing the year they were released.Bands and projects
- Andrea CentazzoAndrea CentazzoAndrea Centazzo is an Italian-born American percussionist and composer of minimal music. He acquired U.S. citizenship in 2000 and lives in Los Angeles, California....
: Environment for Sextet (1979, LP, Ictus RecordsICTUS RecordsICTUS Records is an independent record label for avant-garde jazz artists. Andrea Centazzo and Carla Lugli founded it in 1976. Centazzo is an eclectic drummer, percussionist, pioneer electronicist and composer. Due to financial problems, ICTUS collapsed in 1984...
) - Eugene ChadbourneEugene ChadbourneEugene Chadbourne is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll.Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but...
: 2000 Statues and the English Channel (1979, LP, Parachute Records) - CurlewCurlew (band)Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. Members of the band have included cellist Tom Cora, guitarists Davey Williams and Fred Frith, and bassist Bill Laswell.-Discography:*Curlew...
: Curlew (1981, LP, Landslide Records) - John ZornJohn ZornJohn Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
: Archery (1982, 2xLP, Parachute Records) - Tom Cora and David MossDavid Moss (musician)David Moss is an American composer, percussionist and self-taught vocalist, founder of the David Moss Dense Band; co-founder and artistic director of the Institute for Living Voice, Antwerp...
: Cargo Cult Revival (1983, LP, Rift Records) - Ferdinand RichardFerdinand RichardHervé Richard , better known as Ferdinand Richard, is a French avant-rock bass guitarist and composer.Richard was a founding member of the French avant-rock group Etron Fou Leloublan in 1973, and remained with them until they broke up in 1986...
: En AvantEn AvantFerdinand En Avant, Huit Chansons en Huit Langues , often referred to as En Avant, is the second solo album by French avant-rock bass guitarist and composer, Ferdinand Richard...
(1983, LP, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
) - Skeleton Crew: Learn to TalkLearn to TalkLearn to Talk is a studio album by United States experimental rock band Skeleton Crew, recorded at Sunrise Studio, Kirchberg, Switzerland, between Christmas and New Year 1983/1984. It was their debut album and was released in 1984....
(1984, LP, Rift Records) - Duck and Cover: Re Records Quarterly Vol.1 No.2ReR QuarterlyThe RēR Quarterly was an English "quarterly" sound-magazine comprising an LP record and a magazine. It was published at irregular intervals between 1985 and 1997 by Recommended Records and November Books, and edited by English percussionist, lyricist and music theorist, Chris Cutler...
(1985, LP, Recommended RecordsRecommended RecordsRecommended Records is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler in March 1978. RēR features largely "Rock in Opposition" and related music, but it also distributes selected music released on other independent labels.In 1982 Cutler established November...
) - CurlewCurlew (band)Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. Members of the band have included cellist Tom Cora, guitarists Davey Williams and Fred Frith, and bassist Bill Laswell.-Discography:*Curlew...
: North America (1985, LP, Moers MusicMoers MusicMoers Music is a German jazz record label based in the city of Moers....
) - Skeleton Crew: The Country of BlindsThe Country of BlindsThe Country of Blinds is a studio album by United States experimental rock and jazz band Skeleton Crew, recorded at Sunrise Studio, Kirchberg, Switzerland, December 1985 and January 1986. It was their second and final album and was released in 1986....
(1986, LP, Rift Records) - CurlewCurlew (band)Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. Members of the band have included cellist Tom Cora, guitarists Davey Williams and Fred Frith, and bassist Bill Laswell.-Discography:*Curlew...
: Live in Berlin (1988, LP, Cuneiform RecordsCuneiform RecordsCuneiform Records is an independent record label based in Silver Spring, Maryland.The label releases a mixture of musical styles, including progressive jazz, modern fusion music, progressive rock, the Canterbury Scene and electronic music...
) - Tom Cora and Hans ReichelHans ReichelHans Reichel was a German improvisational guitarist, experimental luthier, inventor, and type designer.-Career:...
: Angel Carver: Live in Milwaukee and Chicago (1989, CD, Free Music Production) - René LussierRené LussierRené Lussier is a musician based in the province of Québec, Canada. He is a composer, guitarist, bass guitarist, percussionist, bass clarinetist and singer. Lussier has collaborated with such figures as Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Jean Derome and Robert M. Lepage...
: Le trésor de la langueLe trésor de la langueLe trésor de la langue is an album of music released by the guitarist René Lussier on the Ambiances Magnétique label in 1989. Many consider it to be Lussier's greatest album....
(1989, LP, Ambiances Magnétique) - Nimal: Voix de Surface (1990, LP, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
) - Third PersonThird PersonThird Person was animprovising trio formed in 1990 in New York City, led by cellist Tom Cora and drummer Samm Bennett. Each performance featured an invited guest: A third person...
: The Bends (1991, CD, Knitting Factory RecordsKnitting Factory RecordsKnitting Factory Records is an independent American music label that is notable for promoting a variety of artists including deceased Nigerian political agitator and musician Fela Kuti...
) - CurlewCurlew (band)Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. Members of the band have included cellist Tom Cora, guitarists Davey Williams and Fred Frith, and bassist Bill Laswell.-Discography:*Curlew...
: Bee (1991, CD, Cuneiform RecordsCuneiform RecordsCuneiform Records is an independent record label based in Silver Spring, Maryland.The label releases a mixture of musical styles, including progressive jazz, modern fusion music, progressive rock, the Canterbury Scene and electronic music...
) - The Ex and Tom Cora: Scrabbling at the LockScrabbling at the LockScrabbling at the Lock is the first of two albums by Dutch punk band The Ex in collaboration with avant-garde cellist Tom Cora. It is also the first of The Ex's studio albums to feature the work of then Dog Faced Hermans guitarist Andy Moor, who would remain in the band ever since...
(1991, CD, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
) - The Hat Shoes: Differently Desperate (1991, LP, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
) - CurlewCurlew (band)Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. Members of the band have included cellist Tom Cora, guitarists Davey Williams and Fred Frith, and bassist Bill Laswell.-Discography:*Curlew...
: A Beautiful Western Saddle (1993, CD, Cuneiform RecordsCuneiform RecordsCuneiform Records is an independent record label based in Silver Spring, Maryland.The label releases a mixture of musical styles, including progressive jazz, modern fusion music, progressive rock, the Canterbury Scene and electronic music...
) - Tetsuhiro Daiku: Yunta & Jiraba (1993, CD, Disc Akabana)
- The Ex and Tom Cora: And the Weathermen Shrug Their ShouldersAnd the Weathermen Shrug Their ShouldersAnd the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders is the second of two albums by Dutch punk band The Ex in collaboration with avant-garde cellist Tom Cora.-Track listing:# "Dere Geliyor Dere" - 4:20# "The Big Black" - 5:33# "What's the Story" - 2:19...
(1993, CD, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
) - Richard TeitelbaumRichard TeitelbaumRichard Teitelbaum is an American composer, keyboardist, and improvisor. Born in New York, he is a former student of Allen Forte, Mel Powell, and Luigi Nono. He is best known for his live electronic music and synthesizer performance. For example, he brought the first moog synthesizer to Europe...
: Cyberband (1994, CD, Moers MusicMoers MusicMoers Music is a German jazz record label based in the city of Moers....
) - Kazutoki UmezuKazutoki UmezuKazutoki Umezu is a Japanese jazz saxophonist.He has performed with Tom Cora, Samm Bennett, Ruins, and Michiyo Yagi.-Video:*...
: First Deserter (1995, CD, Off Note) - Third PersonThird PersonThird Person was animprovising trio formed in 1990 in New York City, led by cellist Tom Cora and drummer Samm Bennett. Each performance featured an invited guest: A third person...
: Lucky Water (1995, CD, Knitting Factory RecordsKnitting Factory RecordsKnitting Factory Records is an independent American music label that is notable for promoting a variety of artists including deceased Nigerian political agitator and musician Fela Kuti...
) - Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
: Allies (Music for Dance volume 2)Allies (Fred Frith album)Allies is a studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. It is the second of a series of Music for Dance albums Frith made.-Background:...
(1996, CD, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
) - Butch MorrisButch MorrisLawrence D. "Butch" Morris is an American jazz cornetist, composer and conductor.-Biography:Before his musical career, Morris served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War....
: Testament: A Conduction Collection (1996, 10xCD, New World RecordsNew World RecordsNew World Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in American music. The label was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to produce a 100 disc anthology covering 200 years of American music....
) - Roof: The Untraceable Cigar (1996, CD, Red Note Records)
- Tom Cora and Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
: Etymology (1997, CD-ROM, Rarefaction Records) - Roof: Trace (1999, CD, Red Note Records)
- Tom Cora and various artists: Hallelujah, Anyway - Remembering Tom Cora (1999, 2xCD, Tzadik RecordsTzadik RecordsTzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
) - Skeleton Crew: Learn to Talk / The Country of BlindsLearn to Talk / The Country of BlindsLearn to Talk / The Country of Blinds is a double CD compilation album by United States experimental rock and jazz band Skeleton Crew. It was released by Fred Records in 2005 and comprises the band's two studio albums, Learn to Talk and The Country of Blinds, with one track omitted, plus ten live...
(2005, 2xCD, Fred RecordsFred RecordsFred Records is a British independent record label created in 2002 by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith to re-release his own back catalogue of recordings and previously unreleased material...
)
Solo
- Live at the Western Front (1987, LP, No Man's LandNo Man's Land (record label)No Man's Land was a German record label based in Würzburg, Germany. Formed in 1984, it ceased trading in 1997. The label was run by its proprietors in combination with the music publishing and record label Review Records and the distribution company Recommended No Man's Land...
) - Gumption in Limbo (1991, CD, Sound Aspects)
See also
- CurlewCurlew (band)Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. Members of the band have included cellist Tom Cora, guitarists Davey Williams and Fred Frith, and bassist Bill Laswell.-Discography:*Curlew...
- The Ex
- Skeleton Crew
- Third PersonThird PersonThird Person was animprovising trio formed in 1990 in New York City, led by cellist Tom Cora and drummer Samm Bennett. Each performance featured an invited guest: A third person...
External links
- Tom Cora myspace Memorial.
- Discography of Tom Cora.
- Tom Cora biography. Etymology Bio Page.
- Tom Cora biography. London Musicians Collective..
- Tom Cora on YouTube.