Jason Finkelman
Accompanist
Philadelphia-born percussionist Jason Finkelman specializes in the Afro-Brazilian bow instrument berimbau and performs on a wide variety of African and Brazilian instruments handcrafted by Adimu Kuumba. His interest in combining unusual instrumentation in the art of improvised music led to the formation of the ambient, avant world trio, Straylight, as well as his recently formed Nu Orbit Ensemble, which blurs the boundaries of jazz, world, and experimental music. His continuing exploration of the languages of improvised music has led to collaborations with noted artists across the genre, including Pauline Oliveros, Joe McPhee, J.D. Parran, Brian Ritchie, Burton Greene, Steve Gorn, Roy Campbell, Jr. and Mark Deutsch. Jason's compositional credits for theater and dance include Cynthia Oliver's works from 1995 - 2003, Carl Hancock Rux's No Black Male Show (2000), and Shakespeare's Henry V (2001) produced by the theater department at the University of Illinois. Jason received a New York Dance and Performance award, a Bessie, along with Straylight's members Geoff Gersh (guitar) and Charles Cohen (Buchla music easel), for composing the music for Cynthia Oliver's SHEMAD (2000). Jason is currently instigating new music activity where he resides in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.
