Biography
Through her collaborations with avant-jazz figures such as Don Cherry and Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso emerged as a compelling and exploratory singer who fused jazz, African, South American, and additional worldbeat elements into a singular, mesmerizing style.
Widespread recognition arrived only with the 1994 appearance of Dance with It, yet Sertso had already devoted more than two decades to refining her craft. In the late 1960s she resided in Europe, where she led her own trios and appeared alongside Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, Karl Berger, and Leo Wright; simultaneously she served as a music instructor at multiple European institutions. She settled permanently in the United States in 1972 and issued her debut recording, We Are You, on Calig Records. Throughout the ensuing years she continued teaching while performing across North America and Europe with Cherry, Ed Blackwell, Lee Konitz, Sam Rivers, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Moses, Dave Holland, Perry Robinson, and Jumma Santos. Kalaparush followed on Trio Records in Japan in 1974, succeeded the next year by Peace Church Concerts on India Navigation/CMC Records.
Sertso joined the faculty of the Naropa Institute in Boulder, CO, in 1975 and remained there through 1976 before relocating to the Banff Centre of Fine Arts in Calgary, Canada. Two residencies at Banff preceded her move to the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, NY, where she assumed co-director duties. During her tenure there she began performing in the Art of Improvisation alongside Berger and David Inzenon. As a solo artist supported by the Woodstock Workshop Orchestra, she toured major European cities in 1979 and also released an album on MPS Records that year.
In the early 1980s Sertso retained her co-director role at the Creative Music Studio while continuing to record and perform with an array of musicians that included longstanding associates Don Cherry and Karl Berger together with Paulo Moura, Nana Vasconcelos, Steve Gorn, Dan Brubeck, and Mike Richmond. She appeared with the Music Universe Orchestra at the 1984 Kool Festival in New York, issued the duet album Changing the Time with Berger on Horo Records in Italy, and completed two European tours as well as a West African tour with Olatunji and Aiyb Dieng.
Momentum increased during the latter half of the 1990s. Sertso presented a series of concerts and workshops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, maintained a steady schedule on the U.S. club and festival circuit, undertook two further European tours, and contributed solo vocals to Berger’s orchestral ballet The Bird. As co-leader of Rhythm Changes she participated in the Jazzdance album on ITM Records. Throughout this period she also performed and recorded with Pauline Oliveros, Lee Konitz, Frank Luther, Anthony Cox, Leroy Jenkins, Jimmy Cobber, Linda Montano, and Karl Berger.
Sertso returned to the mainstream jazz foreground in 1990 with her interpretation of “Until the Rain Comes” on Don Cherry’s Multi Kulti album. Shortly thereafter she commenced work on a new recording yet became diverted by a collaboration with Karl Berger and guitarist Paul Koji Shigihara. The resulting trio combined original material with Sertso’s poetry, improvisations, and readings of traditional pieces. She also maintained a schedule of poetry readings at the Tinker Street Cafe in Woodstock and the Knitting Factory in New York while regularly appearing at venues along the Northeast coast. Her comeback album Dance with It appeared in 1994 and received favorable notices.
Widespread recognition arrived only with the 1994 appearance of Dance with It, yet Sertso had already devoted more than two decades to refining her craft. In the late 1960s she resided in Europe, where she led her own trios and appeared alongside Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, Karl Berger, and Leo Wright; simultaneously she served as a music instructor at multiple European institutions. She settled permanently in the United States in 1972 and issued her debut recording, We Are You, on Calig Records. Throughout the ensuing years she continued teaching while performing across North America and Europe with Cherry, Ed Blackwell, Lee Konitz, Sam Rivers, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Moses, Dave Holland, Perry Robinson, and Jumma Santos. Kalaparush followed on Trio Records in Japan in 1974, succeeded the next year by Peace Church Concerts on India Navigation/CMC Records.
Sertso joined the faculty of the Naropa Institute in Boulder, CO, in 1975 and remained there through 1976 before relocating to the Banff Centre of Fine Arts in Calgary, Canada. Two residencies at Banff preceded her move to the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, NY, where she assumed co-director duties. During her tenure there she began performing in the Art of Improvisation alongside Berger and David Inzenon. As a solo artist supported by the Woodstock Workshop Orchestra, she toured major European cities in 1979 and also released an album on MPS Records that year.
In the early 1980s Sertso retained her co-director role at the Creative Music Studio while continuing to record and perform with an array of musicians that included longstanding associates Don Cherry and Karl Berger together with Paulo Moura, Nana Vasconcelos, Steve Gorn, Dan Brubeck, and Mike Richmond. She appeared with the Music Universe Orchestra at the 1984 Kool Festival in New York, issued the duet album Changing the Time with Berger on Horo Records in Italy, and completed two European tours as well as a West African tour with Olatunji and Aiyb Dieng.
Momentum increased during the latter half of the 1990s. Sertso presented a series of concerts and workshops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, maintained a steady schedule on the U.S. club and festival circuit, undertook two further European tours, and contributed solo vocals to Berger’s orchestral ballet The Bird. As co-leader of Rhythm Changes she participated in the Jazzdance album on ITM Records. Throughout this period she also performed and recorded with Pauline Oliveros, Lee Konitz, Frank Luther, Anthony Cox, Leroy Jenkins, Jimmy Cobber, Linda Montano, and Karl Berger.
Sertso returned to the mainstream jazz foreground in 1990 with her interpretation of “Until the Rain Comes” on Don Cherry’s Multi Kulti album. Shortly thereafter she commenced work on a new recording yet became diverted by a collaboration with Karl Berger and guitarist Paul Koji Shigihara. The resulting trio combined original material with Sertso’s poetry, improvisations, and readings of traditional pieces. She also maintained a schedule of poetry readings at the Tinker Street Cafe in Woodstock and the Knitting Factory in New York while regularly appearing at venues along the Northeast coast. Her comeback album Dance with It appeared in 1994 and received favorable notices.
Albums
