Karen Borca is the only bassoonist of her generation who has made a mark in Avant-Garde and Free Jazz. While studying at the University of Wisconsin, she met Cecil Taylor, who taught there during the 1969/1971 academic years. Borca studied with Taylor, and went on to play in his big bands, ensembles, and the Cecil Taylor Unit. She later assisted Taylor’s longtime collaborator, saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, while he was artist-in-residence at Bennington College in 1974, later to marry him and play in his ensembles until he died in 1986. Her own bands have played the Berlin Jazz Festival, Taklos Festival in Switzerland, Jazz Happening in Finland, Vision Festival in USA and many other concerts, clubs and venues. In addition to Taylor and Lyons, she has played and recorded with important pioneers of Avant-Garde music and Free Jazz including Bill Dixon, Andrew Cyrille, William Parker, Paul Murphy and more.
This event is virtual only and will stream on the Jazz Foundation and Jazz Museum Facebook pages and the Museum YouTube Channel.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the Howard Gilman Foundation.
National Jazz Museum in Harlem
We are your go-to venue for off-site meetings, receptions, film screenings, workshops, networking events, socials and more. Located in the heart of Central Harlem’s thriving culinary and entertainment district, The National Jazz Museum in Harlem is the perfect place to hold your next gathering.