The performances of Jay Elfenbein have been described by the New York Times as "virtuosic...played magnificently" and "with virtuosity and flair." Principal bassist and violone player with the New York Collegium and American Classical Orchestra, among others, he has appeared as a viola da gamba soloist in both Bach Passions throughout the Northeast, and has worked in the jazz and pop field in New York and internationally for over 20 years. As a bassist and gambist he has played with Yo Yo Ma, Judy Collins, Paul McCartney, Lou Rawls, Dave Brubeck, Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Chris Potter, and Anthony Braxton. He has recorded for Sony Classics, CBS, PGM, and Virgin Classics, among others, and can be heard playing vihuela and vielle on Paul Simon's Warner Brothers release, You're the One.
Mr. Elfenbein is the founder and director of the Ivory Consort, an early music ensemble that specializes in medieval music and has been heard on WNYC and WQXR, among other stations, and GambaDream, the only jazz/contemporary ensemble in the U.S. that features the viola da gamba.
He is also a composer whose work has been commissioned and performed in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America. He works in a wide variety of genres, and has written for many vocal and instrumental combinations, some with early instruments. His orchestral and large jazz ensemble works have been premiered in New York City.
Samuel Blaser, trombonist, composer
