About
The Musicians
Founded in 1977, the String Trio of New York continues to push the boundaries of chamber jazz with its unique instrumentation of guitar, violin, and bass.
James Emery
Guitar / Composer
Guitarist and composer James Emery has been active on the international jazz and contemporary music scene since 1975. He has recorded 26 CDs as a leader or co-leader and has performed his works in over 25 countries worldwide. His recordings have been described as "innovative and imaginative" and "utterly distinctive" by the Penguin Guide to Jazz. He co-founded the String Trio of New York in 1977.
Emery has become known for his distinctive and highly original approach to both improvisation and composition. This unique artistic expression has resulted in many awards, grants, and commissions including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1995. He has also received awards and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cary Trust, and the New York Foundation for the Arts.
Acclaimed as "one of the finest guitarists" by All About Jazz, Emery has performed and recorded with Henry Threadgill, Steve Reich, Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton, Joe Lovano, Leroy Jenkins, the Human Arts Ensemble and others. As a composer he writes pieces for chamber groups, jazz ensembles, solo guitar, chamber orchestra and symphony orchestra.
Emery has composed over 150 works, his most recent being a double concerto commissioned by the Skidmore College Orchestra.
Rob Thomas
Violin
Rob Thomas is widely considered to be one of the top jazz violinists in his generation. JazzTimes calls him "a violinist of exceptional creative resources... riveting as a solo voice with a rich complex tone that can sing or shriek."
Thomas has held the violin chair in the String Trio of New York, being the fifth in a series of notable violinists to join guitarist James Emery in that enduring group, whose presence on the scene spans nearly five decades.
Thomas has also toured and recorded extensively with The Mahavishnu Project and The Jazz Passengers. He has also been featured on recordings by Lee Konitz, Andy Summers, and Glen Moore, among many others.
He is Chair of the String Department at Berklee College of Music and author of "A Modern Method for Violin Scales" (Hal Leonard/Berklee Press).
Tony Marino
Bass
Tony Marino has made a major contribution to acoustic bass music. His early career took shape in the clubs of the Pocono and Catskill Mountains where he played with Al Cohn & Zoot Sims, Mose Allison, Phil Woods, Hal Galper, Urbie Green, and John Coates Jr.
His 30-year collaboration with Dave Liebman on tenor saxophone has been one of his defining musical partnerships, touring with Liebman's "Expansions" and Big Band. He has performed at the Newport Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival.
Born in Scranton, PA, Marino grew up singing in a family barbershop trio. His influences include Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Charlie Haden, Scott LaFaro, Stanley Clarke, Dave Holland, and Steve Gilmore.
He joined the String Trio of New York in 2018.
Legacy
Over the decades, the violin chair has been held by a distinguished series of artists: Charles Burnham, John Burnett, Regina Carter, Diane Monroe, and now Rob Thomas. Bassists have included John Lindberg, James Cammack, and Tony Marino. This rotating cast of world-class musicians has kept the Trio's sound vital and evolving while maintaining the creative vision established by founder James Emery.