Lisa Sokolov

Lisa Sokolov is a frontline New York jazz vocalist, improviser and composer. Her work embraces the best of new music, free and straight ahead jazz. Her recordings angel Rodeo, Lazy Afternoon and Presence have received Best CD of the Year citations and press kudos. Her 2004 release: Presence received 5 stars in Downbeat Magazine. Her own studies began as a classical pianist and singer with conservatory prep education and traditional musical training. Her intrigue with the music of John Coltrane led her to search out Coltrane's bassist Jimmy Garrison at Bennington College in Vermont.

Her own studies began as a classical pianist and singer with conservatory prep education and traditional musical training. Her intrigue with the music of John Coltrane led her to search out Coltrane's bassist Jimmy Garrison at Bennington College in Vermont. Choosing this school, she found herself able to study with trumpeter Bill Dixon, saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, and drummer Milford Graves, as well as composers Vivian Fine and Louis Calabro.

Arriving on the New York scene in 1977, Lisa began collaborating with bassist William Parker. This collaboration continues. These years include working in trio with singers Ellen Christie and Jeanne Lee. Lisa also was heard regularly with pianists Wayne Horvitz and Robin Holcomb in the days of Studio Henry. Indeed over the years, she has worked with many new music and jazz notables including Cecil Taylor, Rashied Ali, Badal Roy, Andrew Cyrille, Mark Dresser, Jimmy Lyons, Irene Schweitzer, Steve McCall, Butch Morris, Gerry Hemingway, Didi Jackson, Blue "Gene" Tyranny, Hilton Ruiz, Mike Richmond, and Jim McNeely.

Her performances include solos, duos, quartets, big bands, (she has recorded with William Parker's Little Huey Orchestra and in duo for Parker's Song Cycle and her own Voice/Movement/Theater work and choral works. She has been heard at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, the Spoleto Festival, the Kool Jazz Festival, The Vision Festival, Havana International Jazz Festival, the Tampere Jazz Happening, The Knitting Factory, the The Bottom Line, Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space and many other venues.

Lisa has recorded on Soul Note, Uneet, Aum, Boxholder, Between the Lines and Laughing Horse Records. Releases in 2003 included the Song Cycles of William Parker and Gerry Hemingway. 2004 will include Snow in Spring; a choral work for 20 voices

Sokolov is the originator of the method of Embodied VoiceWork. As a teacher of this method of voice and improvisation, Lisa is an Associate Artist Professor and Head of the Voice Faculty of The Experimental Theater Wing at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts since 1985. She was also a longtime faculty of The Graduate Program of Music Therapy at NYU. Ms. Sokolov is invited internationally to perform, teach workshops and master classes in her vocal techniques to artists, therapists, physicians and people just wanting to contact, connect and sing. Her performance and vocal techniques have been written up in magazines, newspapers and in texts on improvisation.

Lisa is also acknowledged for her contribution to the field of Music Therapy in her trainings, work and writing on the wider application of the role of voice in this culture. She is the Director of The Institute for Embodied VoiceWork in New York where she trains post-graduate music therapists and physicians and is often the keynote speaker at conferences, institutes and universities throughout the world.