SOUND LIBERATION Member Biographies

Gene 'Noizepunk' Pritsker - composer/guitar/rapper

Composer/guitarist/rapper Gene Pritsker has written over three hundred compositions, including chamber operas, orchestral and chamber works, electro-acoustic music, songs for hip-hop and rock ensembles, etc. All his compositions employ an eclectic spectrum of styles and are influenced by his studies of various musical cultures. He is the founder and leader of Sound Liberation; an eclectic hip-hop/chamber/jazz/rock/etc. ensemble currently recording a new CD for Con Legno records. Other organizations he is associated with include: Composers’ Concordance (advisory board since ‘96, Associate Director since ‘04), Absolute Ensemble (co-founder/composer -in -residence ‘93-’96). Some of Gene Pritsker's music is published by: Falls House Press, Gold Branch Music & Calabrese Brothers Music. In the 2006 -’07 season Gene premiered two chamber operas; Money 1 & Money 2, at the Flea Theater and at the Players Theater in New York, He also performed these 2 operas at the Outreach Festival in Schwaz, Austria in the summer of ‘07 and will be performing them in Milan, Italy and Catania, Sicily in May of ‘08. At the Outreach Festival Gene had many performances this year including his Bassoon and samplestra piece; Electrically Tragic Premiered by Martin Kuuskmann and various performances with his band Sound Liberation and The International Street Cannibals a group that combines chamber music and boxing. On September 15 Three Poems From Flowers of Evil, on poetry of Baudelaire was performed by the The Absolute Ensemble, The Latvian State Choir and himself as Di.J. at the ‘07 Bremen Music Festival. Also at this concert Gene’s orchestrations from the movie Perfume were performed. Gene is very excited to have had the opportunity of working with the legendary Joe Zawinul, he has arranged/orchestrated Zawinuls music for the Absolute Ensemble to be toured around the world in upcoming years. In recent years Absolute has been performing arrangements Gene did of Frank Zappas music as well as many of his own compositions, including Lost Illusion, a concerto for bass, orchestra and samplestra (pre recorded electronics) this piece was also performed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with Mat Fieldes on various basses and Kristjan Jarvi conducting. For up coimng seasons Gene is writing a new opera, a new piano concerto for the ‘08 Bremen Festival, his one and a half hour concerto for jazz piano trio and orchestra, 3 Stages of Truth, is being scheduled to be premiered in 2010 by the Mad Fusion trio, Bremen Kammerphilharmonia and Kristjan Jarvi conductor also Gene has orchestrated the new Tom Tykwer motion Picture called The International to be released everywhere in ‘08. For more information and music samples, go to: www.genepritsker.com

David 'Criminal Cello' Gotay - cello/rapper

Cellist David Gotay, born in the Bronx, has performed in such notable venues as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and the White House. He has played on television in PBS’ Sessions at 54th Street, on the QVC Network and in the nationally-broadcast Hurricane Katrina Benefit with Sheryl Crow. He has collaborated with such artists as Alicia Keys, k.d. lang, David Sanborn, Little Jimmy Scott, John Blake Jr., and Manheim Steamroller. Gotay was a member of the critically-acclaimed Carpentier Quartet, is solo cellist for Sasha and Shawna (EMI records) and is a member of the experimental hip-hop/classical group, Sound Liberation, whose debut album is soon to be released on the Col Lengo label in Germany. He regularly performs with the Harrisburg Symphony, Key West Symphony, and the Sphinx Symphony in Detroit. Among his numerous awards are included: Chamber Music America’s Residency Partnership Program Grant; Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks visiting Professorship University of Michigan; Harlem School of the Arts Certificate of Appreciation; and Chamber Music Live award Queens College.

Greg 'B-man' Baker - guitar

Greg Baker (aka b-man, the boogie-man) is a versatile guitarist who performers in many different settings. These range from solo classical and electric guitar to chamber music to genre bending rock infusedaggression.?? He is active in the New York area music scene and has performed in Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, Trinity Church, Columbia’s Miller theatre, the Hungarian Consulate in New York, on WNYC radio's"Around New York", at Caramoor, at NYU’s He hasworked with and given NY premieres of works by many composers that include Gene Pritsker, Arthur Kampela, andThea Musgrave.Since 1996, Greg Baker has played the guitar in Gene Pritsker’s group Sound Liberation - an eccentric rock/hip-hop/classical/jazz/world influenced New York based group. The group has performed in New York and the Outreach Festival in Schwaz, Austria. Greg Baker won Artists' International Young Artist Auditions Chamber Music Award in 1994. His classical guitar instructors have included the Brazilian master Carlos Barbosa-Lima and American virtuosos Fred Hand and Dennis Koster.  In addition he is a published arranger with Dover Publications. Greg Baker holds degrees from the Manhattan School of School and Teachers College, Columbia University

Charles 'Das Krooner' Coleman - vocals

Composer-singer-producer Charles Farmer Coleman (civil rights leader James Farmer was his Godfather) has lived an abundant musical life that began as a boy soprano in the Metropolitan Opera and recently triumphed when the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra opened its 2001-2002 season with his new symphony “Streetscape”. Coleman fell in love with grand opera at the age of 8. In 1980 he joined the Metropolitan Opera’s children’s chorus and sang all of the traditional children’s roles at the Met and the New York City Opera for the next four years including Feodor in “Boris Godunov” with the late basso Martti Talvela. After a brief apprenticeship in musical composition at the Turtle Bay Music School he entered the Manhattan School of Music where he earned his Masters Degree studying with composers David Noon and Eric Lundborg. At Manhattan he met Kristjan Jarvi who, with Gene Pritsker, founded The Absolute Ensemble. Coleman was named Composer-in-Residence of the Ensemble in 1997.

Mat ' The Outfielder' Fieldes - bass

Bassist Mat Fieldes is all over the place playing with pop star/composer Joe Jackson, Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble, with theater work "Asians and Amazons" by Marilyn Abalos, LIVE AT LUNCH on the radio with Vin Scelsa and much more. Mat can be heard on Richard Woodson's fascinating Cuneiform CD "Ellipsis" and with the ilk of Steve Vai and Robin Eubanks in Joe Jackson's Symphony No. 1

David 'The Constable' Rozenblatt - Drummer/Percussionist

Drummer/Percussionist David Rozenblatt’s talents have drawn him to all corners of the globe and all styles of music, performing in the world’s most revered concert halls as well as intimate nightclubs. He has performed and collaborated with some of the finest talents in Pop, Jazz and Classical including Barry Manilow, with whom he recorded his latest CD, The Greatest Songs of the 70’s, and two chart topping DVDs, Music and Passion and First and Farewell. Barry’s latest Christmas recording, In The Swing Of Christmas, features David’s trio MaD Fusion, his inspired collaboration with virtuoso pianist Matt Herskowitz and bassist Mat Fieldes, with whom he tours nationally and internationally. MaD Fusion’s debut CD, entitled Forget Me Not - Herskowitz Rozenblatt Project featuring Lew Soloff (Disques Tout Crin) was released to rave reviews and was nominated for the Felix Award for “Best Jazz CD”. David performed and/or collaborated with Paul Simon, Usher, Baby Face, Cindy Lauper, Donna Summer, Judy Collins, Micky Dolenz, David Foster, Randy Kerber, Lara Fabian, Jon Secada, Katherine McPhee, Jennifer Hudson, Audra McDonald, The Ronettes, Paul Shaffer, Will Lee, Dave Koz, Joe Zawinul, Paquito D’Rivera, Ornette Coleman, Adam Holzman, The Harvie S Trio at the 1st Annual Jazz Improv Festival, , Mike Keneally, Mark Egan, Pierre Boulez, Dimitri Hvorostovsky, Vladimir Spivakov and Elliot Carter. David has performed at Madison Square Garden, Nassau Coliseum, the Meadowlands, Gund Arena, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera House, Avery Fisher Hall, England’s Blenheim Palace, Japan’s Santori Hall, and London’s Barbican.