Elliott Sharp FOURTH BLOOD MOON

• Reduced mobility
• Magnetic loop

Roughly forty years ago, Elliott Sharp emerged as one of the prominent musicians in the New York avant-garde scene, a scene still led by John Zorn. He is highly proficient in jazz and orchestral music, vibrant in blues, suggestive in noise and contemporary music, and imaginative, as they say, in techno. He has the unique ability, not easily achieved, to maintain a tone and balance that blend very different styles within a single composition.

Much of the strength of his work is attributed to his academic curiosity. He studied classical piano from a young age, later opting for the clarinet, guitar, and other instruments. He enrolled in Anthropology at Cornell University, as well as in Music and Electronics. Sharp studied classical composition with Benjamin Boretz and Elie Yarden, and jazz composition, improvisation, and ethnomusicology with trombonist Roswell Rudd. As if this weren’t enough, he also delved into Physics and Electronics with Burton Brody. In 1977, he graduated from the University at Buffalo, where he deepened his composition techniques alongside one of the luminaries of American repetitive music, Morton Feldman.

Since then, Elliott Sharp has continually explored a myriad of knowledge. He was ready at that time to make the leap to the Big Apple, and his compositions began to be performed by prestigious ensembles dedicated to contemporary music, including the Ensemble Modern, the Kronos Quartet, and the Quintet of the Americas.

Sharp, who would need more space than we have here to enumerate and analyze his more than 85 recordings, now arrives at JAZZMADRID with “Fourth Blood Moon,” a project that places him alongside a dream rhythm section: John Edwards on bass and Mark Sanders on drums. In the vocals, there’s Eric Mingus, a legend in the musical blends of blues, soul, jazz, rock, and rhythm & blues. Mingus, the son of the historic Charles Mingus, also leads various formations, occasionally collaborating with Sharp.

In line with the diverse artistic contributions of “Fourth Blood Moon,” the project demonstrates a powerful assimilation of a broad stylistic and cultural spectrum. In the group’s compositions, the inspiration of Elliott Sharp is as crucial as the contributions of each member of the ensemble. This attention to detail allows for a compelling development.