Jane Ira Bloom
| Jane Ira Bloom | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 12, 1955 Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Genres | jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, professor |
| Instruments | soprano saxophone |
| Website | Janeirabloom.com |
Jane Ira Bloom (born January 12, 1955) is an American jazz soprano saxophonist and composer.
Biography
Bloom was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 12 to Joel and Evelyn Bloom. She began as a pianist and drummer, later switching to the alto saxophone, and eventually settling on the soprano saxophone as her primary instrument.[1] She first began playing the saxophone seriously while at Yale University, from which she received a liberal arts degree and a master's degree in music (1977).
Following Yale, Bloom relocated to New York City. There she founded Outline Records and released some recordings under that label.[2] She has worked with Mark Dresser, Bobby Previte, Kenny Wheeler, Charlie Haden, Bob Brookmeyer, Julian Priester, Jay Clayton, Fred Hersch, Jin Hi Kim, and Min Xiao-Fen.
She is noted for her use of live electronics, using a foot pedal to trigger various electronic effects that alter the sound of her saxophone, at times creating the illusion of an orchestra of soprano saxophones.
She was the first musician to be commissioned by the NASA Art Program;[3] in 1989 she created three original musical compositions: Most Distant Galaxy, for soprano saxophone and live electronics, prepared tape, bass, drums, and electroacoustic percussion; Fire & Imagination, for soprano saxophone, improvisors, and chamber orchestra; and Beyond the Sky, for wind ensemble.[4][5][6]
The asteroid 6083 Janeirabloom was named after her.[4]
In 2007, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in music composition.[7]
Recent collaborations include live performances and recordings with the underground New York orchestra M'Lumbo.
Bloom is a core faculty member at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City's Greenwich Village.[8]
She is married to the actor and director Joe Grifasi.
Her newest release, Sixteen Sunsets, received a Grammy nomination for the 56th Grammy Awards in the Best Surround Sound category, with sound engineer Jim Anderson.[9]
Selected discography
- Mighty Lights (with Fred Hersch, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell), 1982
- As One (JMT, 1985) with Fred Hersch
- Jazzantiqua [10](1983) with Fredrick Hand
- Art & Aviation (on electronic saxophone, with Kenny Wheeler, Ron Horton, Rufus Reid), 1992
- The Red Quartets (with Fred Hersch), 1999
- Chasing Paint (with Fred Hersch, Mark Dresser, Bobby Previte), 2003
- Like Silver, Like Song, 2004
- Mental Weather (with Dawn Clement, Matt Wilson, and Mark Helias), 2008
- Popular Science (with M'Lumbo), 2013
- Sixteen Sunsets, 2013 [11]
References
- ↑ Jeffrey Holmes. "Bloom, Jane Ira". In Macy, Laura. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. (subscription required)
- ↑ Gary W. Kennedy. "Bloom, Jane Ira". In Macy, Laura. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. (subscription required)
- ↑ Kernfeld, Barry, ed. (2002). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2 ed.). London, England: Grove's Dictionaries, Inc. p. 243. ISBN 033369189X.
- 1 2 (6083) Janeirabloom
- ↑ Jane Ira Bloom: Space
- ↑ Jane Ira Bloom: Compositions
- ↑ "JANE IRA BLOOM". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ↑ The New School
- ↑ "Grammys 2014: The complete list of nominees and winners". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/frederic-hand-jazzantiqua-mw0000188263/credits
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/artist/386460-Jane-Ira-Bloom
External links
- Jane Ira Bloom official site
- Jane Ira Bloom interview
- The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music
- Audio Interview with Chet Williamson
- Audio Interview with Joe Zupan
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