I don’t even know where to begin with Jherek Bischoff. Simply put, he is one of the most fascinating performers I have been lucky enough to see perform live. In the historical Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Bischoff pulled off a show of orchestral genius, unpredictability and sheer magic.
An engaging performer, he told stories of his youth and meeting his co-performers, who were an unlikely cast and yet amazingly perfect ensemble. Enlisting the help from members of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Icelandic chanteause Ólöf Arnalds, Norwegian songwriter Sondre Lerche, amazing drummer Greg Saunier from experimental band Deerhoof and Channey Leaneagh of Poliça, he presented his album Composed.
In the early 2000’s he played in bands like Parenthetical Girls, The Degenerate Art Ensemble, The Dead Science, Amanda Palmer, and the Wordless Music Orchestra.
He gained notoriety with his 2012 release Composed, which featured nine orchestral pieces with a different vocalist on eight of the nine tracks. Many of the vocalists are well known, and included David Byrne, Caetano Veloso, Mirah, Carla Bozulich (Evangelista, Geraldine Fibbers), Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think), Dawn McCarthy (Faun Fables), Zac Pennington (Parenthetical Girls) and Soko and more. Guest soloists included Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) and Nels Cline (Wilco). While that may seem fascinating on its own, Bischoff composed the orchestral mastery entirely on a ukelele.
Find two Jherek Bischoff tracks on Strawberry Tongue Radio including Eyes (featuring Talking Heads David Byrne) and Young and Lovely (featuring Zac Pennington of Parethetical Girls & Soko.
Visit Jherek’s official website for updates.
Find more Jherek Bischoff at iTunes.