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Jeremy Cohen, violin
OYO 1974-1975
Joel Cohen, cello
OYO 1969-1971
Josh Cohen, violin
OYO 1968-1969
Bay Area String Quartet Receives 2 Grammy Nominations
San Francisco, Dec 07, 2006 — Quartet San Francisco, founded in 2001 by the noted jazz and classical violinist Jeremy Cohen, received two Grammy nominations today for Látigo, their dazzling recording of tango and Latin arrangements for string quartet—Best Classical Crossover CD and Best Engineered Classical CD. The disc was recorded by veteran engineer Leslie Ann Jones at Skywalker Ranch, Nicasio, CA, and released on ViolinJazz Recordings.
The quartet’s personnel, in addition to Cohen, includes founding members Emily Onderdonk (viola) and Joel Cohen (cello). Violinist Kayo Miki joined the group in 2004. Percussionist John Santos made invaluable contributions of rhythm and color to the Látigo sessions.
“Quartet San Francisco is incredibly excited and honored to receive these nominations from the Grammy community,” says Jeremy Cohen. “This CD was inspired by our experiences traveling to Buenos Aires and playing for audiences there. Breaking stereotypes about string music has been a real motivation for this ensemble, and we’re gratified that our audiences are right there with us—and growing.”Though Quartet San Francisco has regularly performed a wide range of material—Beethoven to Brubeck, Mozart to Mingus—Jeremy Cohen cultivates a special long-standing devotion to tango. For two years he played with the theatrical revue Forever Tango during its oft-extended San Francisco run (1995-1997). In 2004, Quartet San Francisco was among 30 competitors participating in the New York City International Tango Competition, sponsored by the Argentine Consulate. The quartet won both the Special Prize and the Grand Prize, which awarded them five performances in Buenos Aires and New York in the 2004-2005 season.
Látigo takes its title (Spanish for “whip”) from the term describing a performance technique used in tango—a quick slide or glissando of a left-hand finger on a stringed instrument for the purpose of simulating the sound of a whip.
Jeremy Cohen spent nine years as a faculty member at the Henry Mancini Institute (Los Angeles), and six years at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He’s been on faculty at the Jazzschool (Berkeley) since 2004. Cohen has recorded two CDs of jazz standards with his ViolinJazz quartet and in 2005 released a DVD tribute to jazz violin great Joe Venuti. Cohen’s orchestral arrangements have been featured by the San Jose and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and the Reading (PA) Philharmonic, among others. The 2006-2007 San Francisco Symphony season includes two arrangements by Cohen.
Review copies of Látigo will be serviced to press in January.MEDIA CONTACT:
Terri Hinte email: hudba@sbcglobal.net
phone: 510-234-8781
www.terrihinte.com
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_4918228?source=rssGrammy nominations new feather in quartet's cap
Column by Cheryl North
Article Last Updated: 12/29/2006 11:06:12 AM PSIT has been a great year for classical music performers and practitioners in the Bay Area — especially with regard to the Grammy nominations announced earlier this month.
One of the honored Bay Area recipients was certainly no surprise: the Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas and San Francisco Symphony was nominated for its live concert recording of Gustav Mahler's complex Symphony No. 7. The other was a complete surprise: Quartet San Francisco's nomination for both the Best Classical Crossover CD and the Best Engineered Classical CD.While classical music mavens are likely to be nodding, of course, to the SFS nomination, the nomination of the five-year-old Quartet San Francisco is eliciting amazed "Wows!" Yet, the Grammy nomination is only the latest of the unexpected honors being packed in by this remarkable young string ensemble. A couple of years ago, it was vaulted into international renown when it was named winner of both the Special and Grand prizes of the prestigious 2004 International Tango Competition in New York City. The Quartet San Francisco, then relatively unknown, was competing with more than 30 other ensembles, including some of Argentina's best, in addition to many other well-established tango specialists from the rest of the world. As a result of its win, Quartet San Francisco was feted in Argentina during its highly lauded August 2004 concert tour. The Quartet's latest CD, "Latigo," whose production led to its Grammy nominations, is a dazzling mix of tango and Latin-influenced string quartet arrangements. The innovative and, indeed, ground-breaking group is headed by charismatic classical/jazz/tango violinist Jeremy Cohen. According to Cohen, "The term 'Latigo' (Spanish for 'whip') describes a performance technique used in tango — a quick slide or glissando of a left-hand finger on a stringed instrument for the purpose of simulating the sound of a whip." The disc was recorded by Leslie Ann Jones, veteran engineer at Skywalker Ranch in Nicasio. Quartet San Francisco's performing members are Jeremy Cohen, violin, and Joel Cohen, cello; Emily Onderdonk, viola; and Kayo Miki, violin. The "Latigo" CD also includes the talents of John Santos. Jeremy is the youngest of the three very musical sons of Eleanor Cohen — soprano, pianist, and retired professor of music from California State University East Bay — and the late tenor Cy Cohen, who served for more than 25 years as cantor for Oakland's Temple Beth Abraham. Jeremy has become the musical heir of such jazz violin legends as Joe Venuti, Eddie South and the great Stephane Grapelli. Yet, listed among his favorite teachers is none other than the great classical violinist Itzhak Perlman. Certainly, he is not limited in his musical tastes. When not immersed in jazz or country music, Jerermy has performed as concert master in touring musicals such as San Francisco performances of "Fiddler on the Roof," the "Phantom of the Opera" and most significantly, with the nationwide hit musical presentation "Forever Tango." He also has been sighted sitting among the violins of the San Francisco Symphony where he is an occasional substitute. Eclectic to a fare-thee-well, he has performed on several movie soundtracks and on other recordings at Skywalker Studios, and he has also made a number of CDs of his own. He served for nine years as co-chair of the string department of the Henry Mancini Institute, housed on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, and worked for six years with the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He's currently on the faculty of the Jazz School in Berkeley. Orchestral arranging is yet another of his interests. Jeremy Cohen's arrangements have been played by the San Jose and San Francisco chamber orchestras and the Reading (Pennsylvania) Philharmonic. The San Francisco Symphony includes two of his arrangements in its 2006-2007 season. Joel Cohen, the quartet's cellist, commutes to the Bay Area from Framingham, Mass., where he plays in nearby Boston with its renowned symphony. He also has served as co-first-chair cello for the Oakland Symphony, with the Vienna Chamber Symphony, and with other musical ensembles throughout Europe. The eldest of the Cohen brothers, Joel, though not a member of Quartet San Francisco, plays violin, guitar and string bass and performs in the Klezmer group Ellis Island. He conducts the Castro Valley Chamber Orchestra and works as a software consultant. All three Cohen brothers are alumni of the Oakland Youth Orchestra. The 49th Annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 11. Contact Cheryl North at northworks@mindspring.com or fax (650) 591-2923.
