Garth Knox

Garth Knox: Saltarello

by Hrayr Attarian
August 16, 2012

Violist Garth Knox is certainly not a jazzman in the traditional sense of the word. Nevertheless, he is well adept at musical improvisation. He has worked with the revolutionary Ensemble Intercontemporain with its cross-genre experimentation, as well as pioneers of free jazz such as Joelle Léandre, George Lewis and Steve Lacy. Knox's “Fuga Libre," on the sublime Saltarello, amply demonstrates these skills in improvisation. This solo viola piece flirts with the avant-garde while keeping the classical canon ...