Renowned Jazz Pianist to Study Rhythm with Linguists
June 5, 2006
Harold Danko, Professor of Jazz Piano and Chair of the Department of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music, has been selected to participate in the University of Rochester's Bridging Fellows program, which permits scholars to try new academic ventures outside their areas of expertise. He will join Joyce McDonough, Chair of Linguistics and Associate Professor of Brain & Cognitive Sciences (pictured with Danko below), in a study on similarities in rhythmic structure between jazz improvisation and discourse intonation.
Danko will spend part time in the Linguistics Department during the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters working on this project, finishing with a performance work he'll create for students of linguistics and jazz in April, 2007.
Danko has performed jazz piano at major venues throughout the world and has worked with such jazz legends as Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Lee Konitz and Woody Herman. He has been at Eastman since 1998, where he teaches jazz piano, directs the Jazz Performance Workshops, and heads the Eastman Jazz Trio.
See also the story in Currents magazine.