Tom Cora

A longtime fixture of the New York City downtown music scene, cellist, composer, and improviser Tom Cora was best known in avant jazz circles, although his eclectic pursuits led him in a wide variety of musical directions. Raised in Richmond, VA, Cora began studying cello while an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, later honing his craft under the tutelage of vibraphonist Karl Berger. His 1979 arrival in New York City coincided with the emergence of a new and fertile era for experimental music, and he quickly fell into a circle of likeminded artists who included John...