Jherek Bischoff

Seattle multi-instrumentalist and self-taught composer Jherek Bischoff began his career as sideman in a number of indie bands before becoming the main event with the release of his debut album Composed. Born in Sacramento, California, the son of an avant-garde musician who had studied with John Cage, Bischoff had an unconventional childhood, spending a large part of his formative years on a boat which his parents sailed first up the Pacific Coast, and then on a two-year trip to Central America and the Caribbean. The family eventually settled in Bainbridge Island, Washington, where Bischoff learned to play a host of woodwind, brass, and string instruments. As a young man in the early 2000s, he first came to prominence as a member of numerous experimental indie pop bands including Parenthetical Girls, Xiu Xiu, the Dead Science, and the Degenerate Art Ensemble. He also played in former Dresden Dolls singer Amanda Palmer's solo band.

His years of playing and composing experience gave Bischoff the confidence to try writing and recording his own solo album, achieving a lush, fully orchestrated sound cheaply by recording each contributor individually and then assembling the final mix on a laptop computer. In 2012 the finished album, Composed, was released to rapturous critical acclaim. Featuring a slew of guest vocalists, the best-known of whom were probably Caetano Veloso and David Byrne, its unique blend of avant-garde classical, golden age Hollywood movie scoring, old-time jazz, and classic vocal pop marked Bischoff as a unique talent. The same year, he also released an instrumental version of the album, entitled Scores, and later went on to receive commissions to compose for other high-profile performers, including the world-renowned Kronos Quartet. ~ John D. Buchanan, Rovi