Jen Baker, Jen Baker, Jen Baker. Okay, so there's only one of me. ALL of the music on this site is done entirely acoustically with multiphonics and features some tracks on my recently produced solo album, Blue Dreams. It is the culmination of a 4 year process through which I reflected on my years in various music schools, redirected my energies from orchestral to improvised music, and found my voice as a solo improvising trombone player. During that time, I listened to absolutely no music for a year. Then one day I popped in a Gregorian Chant CD and for another year listened only to various forms of chant. These 2 years spent with silence and chant gave me a completely different perspective on music. You will also hear one of my structured improvisations, One-Sided Window, which is a collaborated work with my prison penpal. Through the music, I convey many of the sounds my penpal has related as being a part of her regular life behind bars.
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I ALSO PLAY WITH/HAVE PLAYED WITH THE FOLLOWING BANDS:
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Anti-Social Music Collective,
Avatar Orchestra Metaverse (Second Life),
Bush of Ghosts,
Cooke Quintet,
Montclair Women's Big Band,
R&BFreeJazzGospelSupreme80,
OrkestROVA,
Research & Development,
SFSound,
San Francisco Contemporary Chamber Players,
Influences
Medieval music, Abbie Conant, Stuart Dempster, Meridian Art Ensemble, Tibetan Chants, Gabrieli, Josquin, Machaut, Bela Bartok, Joelle Leandre, Edith Piaf, Ella Fitzgerald, Fred Frith, George Lewis, Morton Feldman, Roswell Rudd, Gunter Christmann, Chanticleer, Sun Ra, ABBA, the Beach Boys, Mangelsdorff, Lou Harrison, Harry Partch, and heavy metal.
Sounds Like
Tuvan throat singers, spectral electronics, long luxurious marshmallow clouds slowly enticing you into a much needed love of sound.
I find it essential to integrate traditional music with a wide variety of creative music. In this way, I can better serve the music I play. Recent musical outings include the Marilou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center (Montclair Women's Big Band), Rock Opera (Beowulf-a new play/music), Prog/Art Rock (Research & Development, the R&B/FreeJazz/Funk/Gospel Supreme 80), Indie (Mountain Goats, Rain of Frogs), Free Jazz/improv (Bush of Ghosts, the Cooke Quintet), and the Mutual Aid prison penpal project, through which I collaborated and performed a solo with my penpal at Chowchilla Prison.
I have commissioned, performed and recorded a number of solos for trombone, including A Spell for Trombone, by Shigeru Kan-no, Compulsory Offertory by Ezekiel Talbot, and THS by Patrick Muchmore.
As a trombonist I am interested in exploring new ways of using the instrument; as an improviser and performer I seek ways of creating greater accessibility through the use of multimedia.
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My dream gig is to work intensively with a small group of artists/musicians and create well-organized, spontaneous music in a healthy environment. I love my awesome cat, Basil. It's a shame you probably won't meet her, as she doesn't go out much.
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Official Bio:
Trombonist Jen Baker frequently crosses the borders of classical, free improvisation, jazz, rock and more while continuously seeking and discovering new ways to express herself through her instrument. She has performed nationally not only as a soloist, but also in a variety of ensembles spanning from orchestra to free jazz. She received degrees in music from Interlochen Arts Academy, Oberlin Conservatory, and Mills College.
Jen’s vision is to make the trombone better known through making it more visible/accessible. Her ongoing solo project, Lyrical Vibrations, has been performed several times in the Bay Area since 2006. Lyrical Vibrations is just a fancy name for multiphonic improvisations that take on the character of chant. An avid supporter of new works for trombone, Jen has commissioned and performed many new solos over the past 10 years and is always on the look out for collaboration opportunities.
In the studio she has recorded a wide variety of music ranging from video game trailers to Werner Herzog’s “Encounters at the End of the World.” Recent groups with whom she’s recorded include the Mountain Goats, Rain of Frogs, Cooke Quintet, and the R&BFJF Gospel Supreme 80. She also appears on “Music + One,” compiled by Jon Raskin/Myles Boisen, and both of Moe! Staiano’s albums of conducted improvisations.
Some festivals/events in which Jen has performed include the Marilou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, Meridian Art Gallery Concert Series, the International Trombone Workshop, the Eastern Trombone Workshop, and the Chapel of the Chimes Summer and Winter Solstice Concerts. She has performed and worked with Stuart Dempster, Pauline Oliveros, the Anti-Social Music Collective, Fred Frith, Chris Brown, William Winant, Cecil Taylor, Alvin Curran, Nancy Karp + Dancers, and the Rova Saxophone Quartet.
Jen currently resides in Oakland, CA where she freelances and teaches brass instruments, piano, and the didgeridoo. She can also be found teaching young minds how to compose, invent musical instruments, and sing/perform on instruments. Nationally, she has taught numerous brass workshops, master classes, and coachings at Yale University, Sarah Lawrence College, Pacific Music Camp (Stockton, CA), San Francisco Conservatory Summer Camp, and several high schools..
Reviews
The premiere of "A Spell for Trombone" by Shigeru Kan-no was "...performed with brilliant mastery and virtuosity by trombonist Jen Baker." (San Francisco Classical Voice)
About Indefinite Suspension of the Possible
“Trombonist Jen Baker was a revelation, always ready to lend support in lower registers with terrifying swells and rumbles while also an absolutely lyrical soloist.” (Dusted Reviews)
i wanted to come to your gig tonight but i ended up practicing gay speed metal riffs until it was too late. hopefully i will see you play soon.. and hopefully one day we will play! take care
nice playing jen. i've heard good things about your playing from far off. thanks for the add. the bay area is itching for a guerrilla trombarkestra gig someday. let me know if you are interested, or better yet, already doing things like this...
Really pleased you said hello. Your stuff is brilliant. Very heartening and inspiring. I hope the album jiggles millions of ears. When does your tour reach London?
I was so touched to hear of your Dresher's Requiem performance last night. Thank you so much for thinking of me and Paul. I hope soon I'll get to hear the recording.
Hey Jen, I'm very happy to have met you in Berne on Saturday - I instantly fell in love with your crunchy angel biscuit. Great music and very inspiring!! All the best and have a nice stay in Switzerland!
